The Sun in My Sky
by Winter Cheshire
Summary: You are the sun... you may not always show your face, but you're always there... always warm... always a beacon... a hero. You are Sun Eater... and I am just a wall flower. But then... why do I want to be the only one you see? Following the events as my Four Dragons - Rising fic, but from Ayumi's side of things instead of Rizusa's. Rated M for later chapters and themes. Tamaki X OC
1. Chapter 1

Prologue: Second Best

* * *

"Ayu-nee." The plumette girl jumped, having been day dreaming when a hand came to rest on her shoulder. She turned to see her bluenette friend and cousin, Rizusa Ryugazaki, standing there. "Ayu, what are you doing day dreaming?" she sighed. "Come on. We're going."

"Sorry sorry, Rizu-nee~" she smiled. She got up from her seat, moving to follow Rizusa out of the building. "So…" she poked at Rizusa as they walked. "They gave you permissions, right?" she smiled. "To live outside of the conglomerate and on our own?"

"They did." She sighed. "But…" she looked at her hand which was gloved at the moment. "… Can we do it…?" Ayumi pouted, her sister-figure always having this one problem. She was not at all confident in herself as far as being able to take on the task given to her by her only close family. "Grandfather said we had to branch out but…"

"It'll be okay~" Ayumi smiled, Rizusa glancing over her shoulder at the girl. "Rizu-nee can do anything when she tries!" she thrust her fist into the air, grinning. "We'll make the conglomerate so much better! I know it!" Rizusa smiled, closing her eyes and taking a breath.

"You're always worrying about me, aren't you?" Ayumi wanted to say something, but she knew she couldn't… It would make Rizusa sad. She wasn't really worrying so much as falling into her place. Her place as the second pillar of the Four Dragons Conglomerate. The second best… always behind Rizusa. And though much of that was not intentional, some of it had to be. She was taught not to outshine the leader of their organization. She was taught that Rizusa came first. She was always coming up second to the leader. She wasn't resentful about it, she loved Rizusa and doing her best to make her shine since she didn't seem to have much interest in that herself.

"Rizu-nee is the best. So be confident!" Ayumi cheered.

"Yes yes…" they walked home together, but the whole way home Ayumi had it on her mind. It was never Rizusa that she resented. It was her family. They always had this mentality to keep up appearances, always to put themselves as the best but not in an overly showy way… Show them we're the best support pillar. Show them why the Aihara are the best… But that wasn't what Ayumi wanted. Ayumi never wanted to be "the best", she would always rather fall back and let others be the best. She only wanted to be the best at one thing. Being a person that someone would one day be proud to call theirs… she wanted to be the best at showing someone how much she loved them. She did it in a way with Rizusa, but that was different. Rizusa was like family, it was so easy for Ayumi… "So, Ayumi."

"Uwaah!?" she jumped, Rizusa grabbing her arm and pulling her back as she almost walked into the cross walk while the light was red.

"Stop zoning." She sighed. "Are you still looking for a boyfriend?" she asked, Ayumi looking a little apologetic. That wasn't it, but Rizusa was always good at getting at the root of the issue so… maybe this was what she was doing.

"I am~ But all the boys in class are bothersome. They hit on me but I think all they want is to try sex." She pouted. "We're only kids… we have no place doing things like that."

"You're saving yourself for marriage, right?" Rizusa asked, Ayumi blushing a little and nodding. "You're so pure." She ruffled Ayumi's hair.

"Hehe, Rizu-nee are you saying you're not?"

"N-no of course that's not what I'm saying… it's just… that's something I admire about you, Ayumi." Rizusa pouted, avoiding looking at Ayumi. "I mean… you're always so patient…" they walked again as the light changed. "I'm always charging in head first and not taking other things into account…"

"Hehe, that just means you're honest." Ayumi grinned.

"… Does that mean you're not?"

"Hehe. Maybe?" Ayumi and Rizusa continued to talk all the way home. "I like to think of it as I'm able to not be… when necessary."

* * *

"Not honest, huh…?" Ayumi sighed, hugging onto the rabbit plush that she had brought with her to UA, sitting alone in her room in the dark. "I mean… I guess I'm not… I can't be serious when I talk to him, after all… right, Bunny?" she nuzzled the plush. "I… I wanna be serious and tell him exactly what I want but…" she gripped the bunny tighter. "I don't wanna scare him either… he's not exactly brave about this stuff so if I scare him… he might hate me…"

"Ayumi." The girl jumped, looking up at the door. "Ayumi, wake up." Rizusa stood on the other side of the door. "We gotta go see the third years, remember?"

"Oh, coming!" she exclaimed, jumping out of bed to get dressed. She put on her "hero outfit", so she liked to call it. A simple black dress and leggings made of tear-proof material, tall white boots and a white jacket lined with fur and imprinted with the Four Dragons Conglomerate insignia on the back. She heard the door open as she was tying her hair up, Rizusa wearing her "business wear" hero outfit. Black skinny jeans, ankle boots, and turtle neck without sleeves. She had her jacket over her arm, and her hair tied up in that messy up-do that Ayumi loved on her. She was even wearing her dragon earrings. "Waah, Rizu-nee you're all dolled up~"

"It's hardly that…" she grumbled, pulling on her jacket as Ayumi closed her door. "Come on… Minako and Emiko are waiting downstairs already."

"Okay~"

* * *

"Ne ne, did you hear?" Nejire asked, grinning. Today they were having an actual "class session", this being a meeting with the Four Dragons Conglomerate as a way to talk about being a small group in a huge hero society, as a method of teaching people how difficult putting up your own agency would be in the current environment. "We get to see Rizusa-san and the others today~ They're teaching class, right?"

"They are." Mirio gave her a thumbs up, Nejire cooing about it as the blonde turned to Tamaki. "Are you prepared?"

"I don't know." He said, face planted on the desk. "I don't know if I can handle class with her…"

"She's the teacher though!" Mirio laughed, some of the other students asking the blonde and Nejire about it. Tamaki felt his heart tightening and his anxiety building up since he could hear them talking about him.

"Oh, so Amajiki likes one of the Four Dragons? Which one?"

"She's the one from the sports festival!" another exclaimed.

"Oh, wait, the upper classman right? Ayumi-senpai?"

"That's the one! The Princess of the Four Dragons!"

"That's enough talking." Midnight cracked her whip, leading the Four Dragons in to the room. "Listen up! This is no walk in the park! This class entails a lot of work and team work involved in forming an agency, got it?!"

"Midnight-sensei…" Rizusa sighed. "It's alright… if they kept talking I have methods to make them stop." She motioned to the little dragon doll sitting on her shoulder.

"Oh, right~ Well, please~" Midnight grinned, taking a seat on the side and leaving Rizusa at the front. Tamaki did look up and watch the speech, but he also knew that a certain second pillar of the conglomerate was staring straight at him.

"And with that…" Rizusa turned to her other members, the girls smiling. "Most of you are probably wondering why Ayumi is my second pillar rather than another family." She stated. "The answer is simple."

"We get along the best~" Ayumi grinned. "We've known each other the longest and thus our team play is the best! Put us on the field together and we can't be beat!"

"Oooh, can we test that?!" one student exclaimed, Ayumi grinning.

"If you're ready to go down, then that's fine!" she pointed towards the student, the rest of the class cheering. Tamaki didn't want to, but he was always entranced with Ayumi… she always made things sound fun, despite the anxiety he felt. But it was less anxiety now as nervousness… he felt a nudge, Mirio winking at him.

"Go ask her for a fight."

"Wh-wha…?"

"With a date as stakes."

"D-d-d-daaate…?" Tamaki almost passed out at the thought, face turning bright red. "I-i-I couldn't possibly…" he covered his face, embarrassed beyond reason.

"You totally can, I'm sure senpai would be more than happy to!"

"More than happy to?" They both jumped, turning to see Rizusa as the others lead the rest of the class to the training area. "Tama, I do hope you're not letting another opportunity to spend time with Ayu slip by." She stated, the boy suddenly realizing something.

"I… No, Rizusa-senpai…" he bowed his head.

"Good boy." She pet his head. "Come on… I've given you my permission already to date her… just take every chance you get and make her fall more in love with you already." She added, smiling as steam practically exploded out of his elf-like ears.

"You heard her, let's go!" Mirio exclaimed, Tamaki being dragged along by the boy.

* * *

((I've been writing so much for Tamaki and Ayumi I had to put it in here. Along the same time line as my Four Dragons- Rising (Shoto Route) Story, but from Ayumi's side rather than Rizusa's.

I hope you're ready for the fluffiest fic yet, since Tama is way closer to legal than Shoto is...  
Stay tuned!

-Winter Cheshire))


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1: Planning Ahead

* * *

Ayumi was watching Rizusa set up for fighting a bunch of the third years, smiling as she had challenged them to come at her all at one time. "If Miri and Tama aren't fighting I see no reason for Ayumi to join this." She stated, shrugging her shoulders. They all took that as a challenge, telling her they were gonna win.

"Ehehe, Rizu-nee is so energetic today~" she smiled.

"That's good, right…?" Tamaki asked as he and Mirio stood aside from the rest with Ayumi. Mirio was talking with Nejire though. "She must be feeling better…"

"Yep." Ayumi nodded, turning to Tamaki, who averted his gaze from her. She always wondered if he realized she knew when he was looking at her. "Ne ne, Tama… you don't wanna fight Rizu-nee?"

"N-no, actually…" he shook his head. "I… I um…"

"Tamaki, are you going to fight Ayumi-senpai?" Mirio asked, Nejire looking over at the two with a big grin.

"Oh I wanna see that fight~" Nejire cheered. "A member of the Big Three versus a pro martial artist like Ayumi-senpai!" a few others who were gearing themselves up to fight Rizusa began talking about it amongst themselves, soon to be taunted by Rizusa about getting distracted, all their focus getting back to the bluenette as Midnight announced the start of the fight.

"Ready? Begin!" with a crack of her whip, the students charged Rizusa.

"I'm hardly a pro though." Ayumi chuckled as her leader deflected the first group with Echo, the little black dragon's pinging noise ringing through the room and the green shield protecting Rizusa from the onslaught of physical attacks. "Rizu-nee's much better as an opponent."

"But… Ayumi-senpai…" Nejire pouted.

"I… still…" Tamaki muttered, Ayumi turning to him even as he whispered, Mirio grinning as he noticed this. He gave Tamaki a silent thumbs up behind Ayumi's back, Tamaki blushing a little. "I… still… want to fight against you, Ayumi-senpai…" he whispered, trying his best not to hide against the wall, staring down at the ground and pulling his hood down over his head.

"Tama…" Ayumi stared at him, smiling brightly. "You're such a good boy, Tama~" she wanted to hug him, but she didn't want to panic him. "But I think… we should fight later, ne? Less people that way." Tamaki nodded, too embarrassed to fight her in front of a big crowd like this, let alone ask her for a date as stakes like Mirio suggested.

"Oh, looks like Rizusa-senpai's fight is gearing up." Mirio said, noting that Rizusa slammed one student into the ground, jumping off his back and flipping over someone who aimed a more energy-based attack at her. "So… Ayumi-senpai. Between the two of you, which one is a better martial artist?"

"Eh…?" Ayumi blinked. "I… haven't actually fought her recently since she kept getting sick…" she pondered. "I don't think we've had a proper match since the year we graduated."

"S-since you graduated…?" Tamaki asked, surprised. "But you used to spar… almost every week with her…"

"Hehe… I didn't want Rizu-nee to hurt herself… so I was worried a proper match would hurt her." She said, looking up at Tamaki, meeting his gaze for just a moment. He turned away again, but she didn't mind. She knew even that second was more than he could give a lot of people. "If she doesn't get sick again… I'll try." She added, turning back to the match.

"… It was that bad, huh…?" Tamaki looked up at Rizusa's fight as the woman decked another classmate of his. She was only using Echo, not a single other dragon doll needed.

"Now." Rizusa stated. "If you can't beat me, imagine trying to fight two of me." She stated. "Ayumi's just as good… No, actually she's better." She stated, Ayumi looking up at Rizusa, shocked that she'd said that. "So it would be more like fighting three of me…"

"Whaat, no way!"

"If Togata fought with us, we'd win! No problems!"

"Or even Amajiki or Hado!"

"No, actually." Ayumi smiled. "Only Miri would give you guys an edge, but its no guarantee." She stated. "Rizu-nee has suppression tactics for both Tama and Nejire."

"Whaat?! No way!"

"Alright that's enough. We're going back to the classroom to continue the lecture." Midnight stated, the students seeming put out. Rizusa left first, making sure everyone but Tamaki and Ayumi left the fighting area.

"Ne, Tama…?"

"Y-yes, Ayumi-senpai…?" he asked, noting a look on her face he was surprised to see. She looked almost sad.

"Do you think… that I worry about Rizu-nee too much?"

"N-no I… I think you worry because you've seen her at her worst… and you… always want her to be at her best, right…?" he had a sudden urge to take her hand, but he refrained, keeping his hands to himself. He couldn't just outright take her hand, but seeing her that sad broke his heart. She always thought about those things, and she always asked him about it, even when they were in school. "I… I think you're worrying as much as any sister would worry…"

"Hehe… that so?" she turned to him, catching his gaze again. "Tama…" she smiled, eyes closing as she did so. "Thank you… for always saying encouraging stuff to me…"

"N-no, I just…" he didn't pull his hood down like he did earlier. "I want… Ayumi-senpai to be happy… because when you're sad… it doesn't feel right." He added, Ayumi's eyes widening a little as he mentioned that. "It… hurts… here." He put his hand over his heart. "To see you… looking so sad… so worried…" he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. He wanted to hug her, but he knew that he couldn't. His embarrassment would get the better of him. "Almost as much as it hurts me to be around… too many people…"

"Hehe… that makes you an amazing hero, Tama." She said, nodding her head. "Let's go. We can spar later." She tugged on his cloak so as not to scare him, walking side by side with him back to the classroom.

* * *

"Ayumi… Ayumiiiiii." Emiko was trying to get the plumette's attention, but Ayumi was off in her own world again.

"Emi, leave it." Minako said, knowing that Ayumi was probably day dreaming about Amajiki again. Since coming to UA, it was a daily occurrence. "You're supposed to be working on blueprints for when we go back, aren't you?"

"I know but…" she made a face. "I wanna hear if Ayumi and Tama tama kissed."

"I really doubt they did…" Minako sighed as she poured the tea she'd been making. "Ayumi, where's Rizusa-san?"

"Rizu-nee said she was gonna go talk to Principal Nezu." She replied, turning back to the table to talk to her fellow conglomerate members. "Ooh, tea~ Thank you Minako~"

"… I can't tell which one she likes more… Tama tama or Rizu-nee…" Emiko said, staring at Ayumi and trying to figure her out. Ayumi smiled, not answering specifically to keep Emiko making a cute, mildly confused face. She loved them both.

"So did you two think about what we're going to do with the house when we get back?" she asked, Emiko nodding and looking down at her blueprints. Since hearing that Gin was likely dead, she'd been a lot less panicky. "Oh, is that a new security measure, Emi?"

"Yeah… I wanted to see if it would work… but the percentage is only about 70%..." she pouted. "Something's missing…"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out." Minako smiled. "After all, you spend your spare time with Power Loader right? You have access to all that information, it'll come to you." She added, Emiko nodding her head.

"Ne ne, Minako~ Speaking of spending time, you're spending a lot of time with Miss Recovery Girl, right~?" she grinned. "You learning a lot?"

"Of course… her knowledge is so incredible…" Minako looked down at the table. "I… have a lot of studying to do…"

"Eeeeh… that so? I think Minako is already studied up though…" Ayumi continued this conversation until they heard the door open, looking up to see Rizusa walking in. "Oh, Rizu-nee! Welcome back~" she grinned. "Did the talk go well with the principal?"

"Yeah." Rizusa nodded, taking her seat as Minako poured her some tea. Emiko pushed a plate of snacks towards her and Ayumi turned her attention to her bluenette friend.

"So so? What are we going to do?" Ayumi asked her.

"I have the conglomerate working on cleaning up the house… so all we have to do is wait for them to be prepared for us to come back…" she stated. "Emiko's list of materials are going to be part of preparation as well… so she can work as soon as we get back… but…" she sighed. "Well, with what happened when Gin attacked me, they want us to stay for a bit…" she didn't mention Dabi specifically to not scare Minako and Emiko. But Ayumi knew… the plumette kept her smile up.

"That's fine~ I get to stick to Tama more then~" she nodded. "Do you think we'll be here to the end of the next semester?"

"No, probably not that long…" Rizusa sighed. "We're likely going home in a month or two so, depending on how long Emi's material list takes to come around…"

"A month…" Ayumi made a face, as did Emiko.

"Oi oi, don't pout you two…" Minako said. "We couldn't stay longer than that… We have an organization to run… we're just lucky that Rizusa-san made all the villains scared of her enough to prevent them from coming out immediately… but crime is likely to jump back up soon because they know we aren't at home after what happened to the house, right?" They stayed silent, Rizusa sighing.

"Don't be like that, you two…" she stated softly. "Besides, you know what we signed up for… And I'm sure the two you're both so infatuated with will not mind communicating through message or call rather than in person…" she added, both looking up at her. "Now. Come on. Eat your snacks." Emiko agreed, but Ayumi knew this was really hard for Rizusa too. Not just because she'd be leaving a safe place, but because she knew what would happen if they stayed too long. "But in any case… have fun while you're here." She added. "Make good memories so we can leave without regret." Rizusa glanced up at Ayumi, the plumette smiling back at her.

"Yes, Rizu-nee!" they all stated, as though receiving an order. One to two months… maybe a little longer than that, but even then… they had to make it count.

* * *

Ayumi caught Rizusa looking at her phone constantly over the next day or so, wondering what was bothering her. "Ne… Rizu-nee? What's wrong?" Rizusa would jump whenever Ayumi asked, turning to her. "Is everything alright?"

"Y-yes, everything's fine, Ayu…" she put her phone away. "Sorry…"

"Why are you sorry?" she asked, sitting next to her on the floor as Rizusa just leaned back against her bed. "No apologizing… it's fine, whatever it is." She added, pouting at Rizusa. She always apologized… Ayumi wanted to grab her cheeks and pull on them to make her snap out of it… but something told her this was different. This wasn't just another conglomerate matter.

"I'm obviously looking depressed or worried for you to check on me all the time…"

"But I check on you regardless." Ayumi poked at Rizusa's cheek, smiling. "Besides, Rizu-nee… I'm supposed to support you… I can't do that if you don't tell me what's bothering you…"

"… I know." She whispered, Ayumi just letting her brood for a minute or two. Must have been bad.

"Will telling you that Shoto-kun stares after you with a cute expression make you feel better?" she asked, Rizusa blushing at the mention of the little hero in training. "It's really cute~ He just stares after you like you're a fairy or something~" she grinned, Rizusa's face coloring redder.

"D-does he…?" she asked, knowing that Ayumi had caught her texting Shoto the other day.

"He does~" she smiled. "Oh did you know?"

"Know…?" Rizusa turned to Ayumi, who was grinning like a maniac. "Ayu… that face is scary, stop it."

"Sorry sorry, Rizu-nee!" covered her mouth. "But I heard that they're starting their internships! I wanna go see Fat Gum! Can I?"

"Eeh… but Fat Gum's busy isn't he?" she pouted. "Though I suppose it would be nice to see him…" she pondered. "Ah but I have work to do I shouldn't leave the school…" she added, grumbling.

"Just one day is fine, right?" Ayumi grinned. "Then you can come back and talk to Shoto about all that training he has to do for the provisional license and comfort him~"

"A-ayu, shh!"

"Haha, Rizu-nee you're so cute~" she hugged onto her, knowing her face was bright red again. "Ne? So let's go with Tama tama and Kiri-chi~"

"Alright…" she muttered, letting Ayumi do as she liked. "But only for a day. We have to be back at UA before the conglomerate contacts me… they said they'd let me know tomorrow night."

"Hehe, yes, Rizu-nee." Ayumi let go, getting up to go back to her own room. "I'll make sure we're up bright and early so we can go~" Ayumi left Rizusa in her room, heading back to her own. She was glad she got to go with Tamaki, but more glad that Rizusa was showing interest in meeting up with other heroes and not hiding in the school until their time there was over. "Tomorrow, huh?" she smiled to herself. "I can't wait to have fun tomorrow with Fat and Tama~"

* * *

((SOME ACTUAL CONTEXT OF TIME. I was racking my brain trying to figure out where I was in the story, I'd completely forgotten what was going on...

Hope you like this chapter, expect more soon hopefully!

Reviews are appreciated, thanks for stopping by to read!

-Winter Cheshire))


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2: Secrets Kept

* * *

Tamaki was practically shaking as the group of four walked to the station. Ayumi was clinging to his arm the whole way, Kirishima tailing behind him with Rizusa to give them space. "Hey, Sis?"

"Y-yes, Kirishima-kun…?" Rizusa asked, trying to remain calm even as the most "brotherly" of the students in 1A talked to her.

"I was wondering how you knew Fat Gum." He stated.

"Oh, well…" she smiled. "Fat Gum was always really nice to us when we were interns. This was the closest area to home we could intern in so…"

"Oh, you two interned with him?" Kirishima questioned.

"We did~" Ayumi grinned. "It was more as a favor to us though, since Fat Gum knows my parents." She added. "Even if we weren't a part of the hero course, we had to intern first before we could go around as the Four Dragons, you know?" she smiled. "And get this, Kiri-chi~ When Fat Gum was letting us intern, he had Rizu-nee cook for him as payment!"

"Eeeh?!"

"Don't be so surprised… too much brightness around…" Tamaki mumbled to himself, glancing over at them as Ayumi let go of his arm. "… Rizusa-senpai… how do you handle her every day?" he asked softly, seeming horribly put out. But Rizusa just smiled, patting Tamaki's back.

"You love it, don't lie." She smiled as she walked by him to the train. Tamaki's face colored red as Ayumi suddenly hugged back onto him, but he didn't pull away as much as before. Ayumi grinned, continuing to talk to Kirishima with interjections from Rizusa the whole way to Fat Gum's agency. Before they arrived, Rizusa bought them a snack, also procuring a whole case for Fat Gum before they headed back towards the Pro's office.

"There you are!" Fat Gum exclaimed when they arrived, waving at them.

"Fat~!" Ayumi waved back enthusiastically, Tamaki looking like he'd pass out. She ran over and hugged onto Fat Gum's belly, grinning. "As soft as ever, Boss!"

"Oi oi, you still usin' that old name?" he laughed, petting her head like one might a puppy. "Rizusa, nice to see you back too." He bowed to her, the girl bowing back.

"Thanks, Fat Gum." She smiled. "Sorry for the sudden intrusion… I know you're supposed to be mentoring but…" she turned to Ayumi, who had returned to clinging to Tamaki and proclaiming that he was soft too, Tamaki's face even redder than before if that was at all possible. "Ayumi insisted." She handed off his bag of snacks, the man nodding.

"That's fine. C'mon. Let's get the newbie settled and we'll grab some lunch before." He added, knowing that they hadn't eaten yet. "Newbie, what's your name?"

"Kirishima, Eijirou! Sir!"

"Hehe, Kiri-chi's a good boy, Fat~ He was taking remedial lessons with us for a short bit, when you couldn't make it that one time."

"Ohh, that was what that was for?" he ate his snack as they walked. "I remember hearing from Fourth Kind that he did pretty good on that one mission… he was borrowed for his quirk, right?"

"That's right~" Ayumi nodded. "And guess what Fat? He calls Rizu-nee big sis!"

"Oho! Must aggravate that sibling complex of hers, huh?!" he laughed, Rizusa pouting a little. "Well he must be a pretty good kid." After showing Kirishima around the offices, they headed into the streets for lunch. "Well since we're here…" he turned to Rizusa. "What you wanna eat, kiddo?"

"… Okonomiyaki… and Takoyaki…" she said, Fat Gum laughing again.

"You're a mind reader, kid!" they headed out, Kirishima asking a couple of questions but mostly listening to Rizusa recant stories of her and Ayumi's internship to him, Fat jumping in occasionally to add things. Ayumi walked behind them with Tamaki, who was obviously very uncomfortable around all these people.

"Tama…?" he looked up at her, seeing her smiling brightly at him. "I'll give you some of my food too, if you're still hungry. Okay?" she asked, Tamaki nodding and walking with her silently. "What kind of okonomiyaki do you want? I know Rizu-nee wants cheese on hers." She added, Tamaki mumbling his response. "Hehe, okay~ Seafood it is~ Do you wanna get two?"

"Ayumi! You flirtin with Tamaki hard enough?!" Fat asked, the boy nearly jumping out of his own skin.

"Faaat, don't be mean~!" she called back, grinning. "That's my job, you know~!" The day went on like this for a while, Kirishima surprised that Tamaki opened up around the food setting. "Ne ne, Kiri-chi~" Ayumi smiled after they were done and leaving the restaurant, Rizusa leading Tamaki ahead to show him something while Fat kept eyes on both parties.

"What's up, senpai?"

"You know, I can't stay since you're supposed to be doing your internship… but…" she smiled. "Watch out for Tama for me? Please?"

"… Senpai… you really like Amajiki-senpai, don't you?"

"Hehe… more than I could ever tell him without him passing out from embarrassment." She replied, nodding her head. "If I could, I'd stay with Tama ALL the time. But I can't so…"

"I'll do my best." Kirishima beat his chest a little, Ayumi bowing her head to him.

"Thanks, Kiri-chi."

"Ayumi, come on!" Rizusa called.

"Coming, Rizu-nee!" she rushed past Fat Gum, the man smiling a little. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Ayumi loved Tamaki. She had talked about the boy almost NON-STOP when they were patrolling. At first Fat found it really odd. Almost stalkerish really. But when she mentioned that she couldn't tell him he wondered why. Then, when Tamaki came to intern under him, he realized why. His self esteem and attitude towards himself was so terrible, Ayumi was afraid that telling him would end up hindering him somehow. So instead she kept it as light as she could while still showing she adored her underclassman. As they were headed back towards Fat Gum's office, Rizusa got a call. "This is Rizusa." She replied, Ayumi smiling as she walked with Tamaki not far behind Rizusa. "Oh… Jouji… yes, she's with me." She stated, Ayumi looking up at Rizusa mentioning "her" assuming they meant herself. "No, we're in Kansai with Fat Gum." She added, Ayumi wondering what the conversation could be about. Jouji was a high ranking member of the Four Dragons Conglomerate's inner core, the members that were basically acting in place of Rizusa and the girls while they were at UA. "… What?" she paused, Ayumi sensing that same dread from Rizusa that she'd sensed before. That sadness. "No, I'll come back right away. I'll be there this evening." She added, turning to Ayumi and the others as she hung up. "Fat, sorry, I gotta head back home. Something happened at the compound."

"No worries. I'll get Ayumi back to the station safe n sound before patrol." He waved, Rizusa bowing her head before rushing off, Ayumi wanting to follow but instead clung to Tamaki's arm. "Wonder what that was about." He muttered.

"I'm sure it'll be okay." Ayumi smiled, Fat Gum turning to her. "Rizu-nee's always got a plan, after all~"

"I'm sure she does." Fat nodded, leading them back to the agency. "In the mean time though, I'll give you a little while to get settled." He said to Kirishima. "Tamaki. Ayumi. I'm gonna borrow you two for a sec."

"Got it, Boss~" Ayumi grinned, clinging to Tamaki still. They went to a meeting room, Ayumi sitting down next to Tamaki. "What's up, Fat?"

"… Ayumi. Has Rizusa not told you?"

"Told me…?" Ayumi tilted her head. Fat looked almost sad for a second. "Fat… what's wrong?"

"I was asked to keep things a secret, but I think you two should know." He stated. "Being two people Rizusa trusts… you especially, Ayumi." He stated. "Knowing how things are right now, Rizusa needs someone to share a burden with her silently." He began talking, Ayumi's eyes going wide and her hand dropping from Tamaki's arm.

"A… brother…?" she asked softly, Tamaki shocked as well.

"He appeared out of nowhere one day, and only about 6 people aside from myself and Rizusa were made aware of the whole situation." He stated. "Rizusa's grandfather and your parents being three of those…"

"My parents knew too…?" Ayumi looked so confused, Tamaki shakily grabbed her hand out of reflex to calm her down… but it was like she didn't feel it. She was so upset… Tears formed in her eyes and she stared at the hand on hers. "Why… would Rizu-nee hide that from me?"

"She's not doing it because she wants to." Fat added. "I was only brought in because she told your parents to tell me incase anything happened… but with things getting as intense as they are, there was talk of moving him here into the Kansai area." He added. "Against Rizusa's will."

"What?" Ayumi was about to cry. Why was Rizusa hiding all that from her? It was no wonder she was so stressed.

"She and Johji are stopping it now, probably." He said, placing a hand on her head. "But I know that Rizusa didn't mention it to you specifically because your parents were involved." He added.

"Damn it." She sobbed a little. "The hell are they doing?" she was trembling. "Rizu-nee's word is law in the conglomerate… the hell…? Why are they trying to take her brother from her? Rizu-nee would agree if it was for his safety… They're always planning something, damn it!"

"Ayumi…" Tamaki whispered, gently leaning his forehead against her shoulder, this motion jarring her from her headspace. "Breathe… please…" he added, Fat removing his hand and letting Tamaki comfort the girl he was head over heels for. Ayumi did her best to calm down quickly, but avoiding her quirk so as not to fall deeper into rage. "Rizusa-senpai… likely was trying to keep your relationship with your parents intact…" he added.

"I know but…" Ayumi sniffled. "But Rizu-nee always shoulders the hard stuff alone… she never lets me help… that's my job, isn't it Tama?" he looked up, seeing her still crying. "I'm supposed to be her right hand… her support… I'm supposed to help her… but she always protects me from stuff because she's still concerned for my feelings!" she sobbed, Tamaki letting her hug onto him and sob, rubbing the back of her head to calm her down. "Why…?"

"Because…" he leaned over and pressed his lips to the top of her head, Ayumi still sobbing. "Because she wants you to be happy… she knows you don't like being in the spotlight… she knows you better than I think anyone else…" he held her close, hoping he was helping. "So she keeps it to herself… so you can just live life… I think…" he noticed that Fat Gum had left the room, pulling the girl a little closer.

"Tamaaaaa." She sobbed, the boy feeling highly uncomfortable but all the same not wanting to let her feel all those sad things herself. He wanted to help any way he could, even if it put himself in an unfavorable situation as dealing with his anxiety. But for Ayumi, he would always…

* * *

"Sorry… I didn't mean to cause a fuss, Fat…" Ayumi was standing at the station, Fat Gum and Tamaki and Kirishima waiting with her to see her off.

"No worry." He grinned. "You certainly got Tamaki out of his shell a little." He turned, pausing to see Tamaki hiding his face under his hood. "Or… at least for the time." He turned back to her. "Get back safe, kid." He ruffled her hair, Kirishima saying goodbye before Fat pulled him aside to get some snacks with him. Tamaki stood with her, still hiding under his cape.

"Ayumi… I…"

"Thank you, Tamaki." He turned, seeing her leaning up and feeling a press on his cheek. Warm lips. "I… really can't thank you for always catching my tears the way you do…"

"I… senpai…" he wanted to hide his face again, but instead did his best to hold her hand without passing out. Barely enough contact to call it a pinky-swear. "We'll… talk again… when I get back…"

"Hehe. Okay." She nodded, smiling. She lingered with him for a minute before hearing her train get called, rushing off after making one last second of eye contact with Tamaki. He stood there in a daze, his ears bright red as Fat mentioned them being super cute. But at least she was better… not much, but he knew she would be okay at least till he got back.

* * *

((One more chapter! I needed to get this one out before I lost inspiration. Sorry tis a bit heavy, but it'll get fluffy I promise... I gotta get all the groundwork out before I give them fluffy times.

-Winter Cheshire))


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3: Issues

* * *

Ayumi practically ran all the way to the hospital, Rizusa hot on her heels with Emiko and Minako in tow. Rizusa had received word from Fat Gum about everything that had gone down with the Eight Precepts of Death and the involved hero agencies. As a nearby agency's leader, Rizusa wanted more details in person, but she also was going to check on the students. Mirio and Tamaki were both not in the best of shape and Kirishima was pretty exhausted from the whole thing too, and on top of that Nighteye was dead… The league of Villains had made a power move… Ayumi heard Rizusa sigh. "Unsightly." She muttered to herself. The plumette turned to Rizusa as though asking permission to run ahead, but she knew her leader was feeling that awful self-doubt again. But now, knowing about her little brother too… Ayumi felt sad. How was she supposed to help? Rizusa made eye contact with her, Ayumi nodding in confirmation before rushing into the hospital. Once they checked in, they split off from one another to visit the people they needed to talk to. Ayumi, of course, went straight to Tamaki.

"…Tama…" Ayumi stood at Tamaki's door, seeing that huge bandage on one side of his face. She wanted to cry. "T-tama…"

"A-ayumi-senpai…?" Tamaki had been asleep when Fat Gum told Mirio that they were coming, so seeing her shocked him. "What are you…?" she looked so scared. "I… um… sorry, to have you see me looking all beat up…" he tried hard to make light of the situation, but the look on Ayumi's face was disheartening. He felt his voice trail off, hoping she wasn't angry.

"Tama…" she began to cry, standing in the doorway. Something then pushed her in, causing her to turn and look, but no one was there. She didn't give it a second thought, wandered over to his bed side, and clung to his hand. "Tama you're gonna be okay, right?"

"They said… it'll heal on its own… no scars, probably…" he muttered, shaking from suddenly having her looking so vulnerable at his side when he knew he must have looked pathetic.

"That's not what I asked." She stated, squeezing his hand tighter. "Are you… gonna be okay?" he smiled a tiny bit, leaning against her and letting her hug onto him as tight as she could without aggravating his injuries.

"I'll be alright… sorry to scare you…" he added, dealing with his heart racing to let her relax a little. "How… have you been?" he asked, having been unable to see her since they parted ways at the station, too busy with school.

"Missing you… a lot…" she said, pouting. "I… I missed you too much, it hurts…" she added. "And then seeing you hurt… I don't like it." She shook her head, burying her face against his shoulder. Tamaki shivered a little but he dealt with it as best he could, knowing that she was upset still. "Y-you owe me a date for making me worry! A-and a sleepover too!"

"D-d-d-d-daaate?" he managed to sputter out.

"That's right! A whole two days!" she added, Tamaki feeling like he'd burst. But before he did...

"Ayumi, shh." Rizusa said from the door, making both of them jump. "Hospital."

"S-sorry, Rizu-nee…" She smiled, rubbing the back of her neck.

"I'm gonna go finish talking to the other Pros, so I'll let you know when I'm done." She smiled a little, Tamaki still averting his gaze. "Tama… keep her under control, okay?"

"I-I'll try, Rizusa-senpai."

"Good." She bowed her head, having a dragon doll drop off a basket of snacks for Tamaki before heading off, the doll flitting along behind her. Both Ayumi and Tamaki let out a breath they hadn't realized they'd been holding.

"She's too sneaky… I didn't sense her at all." Ayumi grinned, Tamaki glad she was smiling again. "But… I mean it you know…" she grasped at his hand more tightly this time, making him reflexively squeeze back. "A date… and an overnight too…"

"I-if… that's what you want…" he knew she was mad, not at him, but at herself. "Don't be upset… okay?" he put his hand on the back of her head and rubbed her hair soothingly. "I… sorry… for not… telling you…" he added.

"… No, don't be…" she mumbled, clinging to him harder. "I… I know you were told to keep it quiet… but when Fat told us… I …" she pressed against him a little. "I was scared… for you… for Miri… for Kiri-chi and Fat… I…" she sniffled.

"… Ayumi…"

"Tama, just… promise me…" she hooked his little finger in a pinky-swear, looking right at him. It made him so nervous, but he couldn't look away. "Promise me that when you do become a pro… that you'll tell me when you have to go do something dangerous? Please? Even if you can't say what or where, that's fine but… I… I just wanna know when I gotta be worried for you, okay? Cause hearing it suddenly like that…"

"… I… I promise…" he replied as she wrapped her free hand around him again, shaking when she nuzzled into his shoulder. He wanted to pass out, hide in the corner… but he wouldn't. As much as he felt anxious, Ayumi was more important… calming her down… he felt her look back up at him, forcing himself to look her in the eyes. In that second, Ayumi leaned up and met his lips with hers, Tamaki's mind going blank. He stared back at her in a daze, the plum-haired girl repeating the action until he snapped out of it and hid his face behind his hands. "A-a-ayumi."

"Sorry sorry, Tama… I'm sorry, ne?" she rubbed his back, smiling wide. It was a bright, cheery, Ayumi sort of smile. But it was also warm… Tamaki's thoughts ran with the feeling of her lips, causing him to nearly faint. "Hehe… I love you, Tama…"

"L-l-l…" he couldn't even get the words out, all he could do was blubber. Ayumi seemed pleased with herself, but also apologized until he managed to calm down. After all, she didn't want to make him panic too bad with all those injuries.

"Ne… When you get out of the hospital… can I have another kiss?"

"K-k-k-kiii…" Tamaki was about ready to hyperventilate, Ayumi apologizing again, knowing he was just embarrassed. But the fact that he wasn't saying no and wasn't scared… it made her happy.

"Hehe… Tama's silly." She kept smiling. They stayed that way until Rizusa came to the room a bit later, the bluenette quirking an eyebrow at the bright red Tamaki and the grinning Ayumi. "Rizu-nee. Ready to go?"

"… Yeah." She replied, Ayumi getting up and apologizing one more time to Tamaki before she pet his head and left the room. Once outside, Emiko and Minako having gone back one train ahead of them, Rizusa stopped Ayumi. "What did you do?"

"I just made Tama mine." She said gleefully, Rizusa almost jumping at the phrase.

"A-ayumi, he's in a hospital!"

"Ehehe, Rizu-nee you have a dirty mind~ I just kissed him~" the two had a playful argument all the way to the station, Ayumi getting scolded for phrasing it that way. But she didn't care. She was one step closer to her "goal". One step closer to Tamaki Amajiki's heart.

* * *

"Ayumi. Oi, are you listening?" Ayumi was listening, despite wanting to drown it out. "Ayumi, you do NOT have permission to marry anyone we do not approve of!" Her father hated the thought of his daughter marrying a hero… let alone one he'd never met.

"I don't need your permission." She finally replied. "Rizu-nee gave her permission, and I'm not a kid anymore… I don't care about your permission." She stated, hanging up the call. Her phone rang again, but she threw it against her mattress, irritated. She was always, being the only girl, the one her father was planning from the start, to marry off to someone else. They didn't talk about it till she turned 12, of course… they kept her out of the loop. She hated that.

"Ayu-nee." Rizusa was sitting in the room with her, knowing that she hated this.

"I hate it…" she stated, Rizusa sighing at her.

"Now now." She stated. "They're your parents."

"… You always say that but they're doing so much worse, aren't they?" she asked, turning to Rizusa, a knowing look in her eyes. She'd been so abrasive with Rizusa rececntly, she had to get it out before it got worse. "You… would know…"

"… Ayumi…?"

"They're trying to take him away, aren't they?" she asked, Rizusa's eyes going wide.

"Who told you?"

"Doesn't matter." She replied. "That's what they're trying to do, right? They're trying to make a power play." She stated. "This is why-!"

"That's not it…" Rizusa muttered. "… Ayu-nee, that's not it…" she sighed, looking up at Ayumi as she sat down in front of her.

"Then what? Tell me… properly… no more secrets, Rizu-nee… please… we promised." Ayumi rubbed the tears forming out of her eyes, the bluenette sighing again.

"… It isn't like I wanted to hide it… but I don't know if he really IS my brother." She stated. "I told your parents he was so they would protect him without hesitation… and they told Fat the same thing… but…" she looked at her hand, a small dragon doll appearing. "But his doll doesn't respond to me… all dragon dolls should respond to ANY user of the quirk." She stated. "So I can't be sure… if he really is using Dragon Doll…" she let the little doll float around her. "All I know is that he has the same color eyes… that's it." She shook her head.

"So… then…?" Ayumi asked.

"If he ISN'T really my brother, he might very well be some sort of ploy… an enemy plot to pull at a weak point of mine and use him against me later." She stated. "… Or… maybe he is, and I'm just over thinking a miracle…" she mumbled. "Either way, I… I can't trust either story until I'm sure so…"

"… That's why you're keeping it secret?"

"Yeah…" she looked sad. "I'm gonna tell Shoto too… And Nezu knows." She stated. "So… please don't tell Minako or Emiko yet." She added. "Until I know what's going on, please Ayu-nee…"

"… Rizu-nee…" Ayumi felt horrible for bringing it up, but now at least she knew. "I… Sorry, Rizu-nee I… I jumped to conclusions and-!"

"No… you had every right…" she said softly. "… Fat told you because he was probably worried." She rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm sorry… for keeping it from you… you're family and yet here I am hiding things…" she smiled up at Ayumi. "Forgive me, Ayu-nee…"

"Geez, when you make a cute face I can't say no." Ayumi hugged onto Rizusa and ruffled her hair. "My big sis is so adorable~"

"Oi oi, who are you calling adorable?" she pouted, Ayumi giggling. "Come on. Enough sadness. I'm sick of it." She stated. "Let's go make something to snack on and relax for once… we've been planning too hard for the move back."

"Yay, snacks~!" Ayumi cheered. "Let's go let's go~!"

* * *

Ayumi relaxed in her room, having turned her phone off so her parents couldn't call her anymore today. She opened up her computer and noticed a message. She stared at it for a while, sighing. "They made brother message me?" she pouted. She responded with a sticker, not wanting to answer in words. But then a video call notification came in. "Brother, what is it?" she asked, her older brother sitting at his desk in his pinstripe suit. His sharp eyes and dark hair made him a heartthrob, despite being so stuffy looking clothes wise.

"Ayumi. What are you doing, hanging up on Dad?" he asked. "He's really pissed you know."

"I don't care." She pouted. "He can't tell me what to do… he wants to marry me off to some gross businessman or something. No way." She shook her head. "I wanna marry someone already."

"Yes yes, that hero in training, right? Sun Eater?" he replied, Ayumi nodding her head in response. "Geez, you're so stubborn…" he mumbled.

"… I don't wanna listen to em, Brother… don't make me call them."

"I won't, you know I can't force you to do that…" he sighed. "… But let me meet him sometime, okay? That way at least you have someone who can vouch."

"R-really?" she exclaimed.

"So long as you stay safe." He replied. "And don't leave the Four Dragons…"

"Hehe, yes Brother~" she smiled, glad that at least ONE member of her family wasn't going to try forcing her to listen to her parents. "I'll stay safe and stay with Rizu-nee until the day I die~"

"Oi oi." He sighed again. "He looked away from the screen, mumbling a response to the person on the other side before turning back to the screen. "Gotta run. Make sure you turn your phone back on by tomorrow okay?"

"Fiiine." She grinned. "Goodnight, Brother~"

"Night." He closed the laptop, cutting the connection. Ayumi sighed again, looking up at the ceiling as she lay her head on the chair back.

"Buu buu… I wanna spend time with Tama again… this stress is too much… I need my dear Tama to be back here already…"

* * *

((One more~ I'm on a roll I think~

Hopefully I get to the fluff this upcoming chapter.

-Winter Chehshire))


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4: Dangerous Habits

* * *

Ayumi stood and stared at the member of the Big Three as he nervously fidgeted in front of her. He was dressed simply, a black pair of pants and shoes, white baggy crew-neck shirt, and black cardigan. "Tama?" she asked, the young man barely able to speak His words came out in a jumbled mess, but Ayumi didn't mind. "You okay?"

"There are so many people…" he said as they stood together, nervously glancing around as they stopped on the side of the walkway. "I-it's… unnerving…"

"Tama…" she took his hand, making him jump. "It's okay!" she smiled wide, Tamaki looking up at her and becoming entranced by her radiance. She was wearing black shorts and tank top, over which was a white off shoulder sweater. She also wore thigh-high black socks and black and white boots. She'd done her hair up different than normal, instead of her signature braids she'd tied it up in a messy bun. Tamaki took in every detail, including the dragon-shaped ring on her finger, her proof of being a member of the conglomerate. "We're here to visit Fat and eat good food! Don't worry about other people!" she grinned. This was the date she'd asked for to make up for him not telling her about the dangerous mission he'd gone on to take on the Eight Precepts of Death. The food festival was a big thing around here, and Fat Gum was patrolling as security so they wanted both to check on him and go on their date at the same time.

"… I'll try…" he replied, looking back down at the ground. Ayumi lead Tamaki around, making him look up at the food if nothing else. All sorts of goodies surrounded them, so Ayumi made sure to check every booth and get whatever looked good so Tamaki didn't have to do any talking to anyone except her. She bought all his favorites, causing him a bit of stress since she always beat him to the punch with buying things.

"Tama, try this~" she offered him a piece of takoyaki on a stick, causing him to nearly faint. "Tama, c'mon." She pouted. "Say "aah~", please?"

"A-aah…" he let her feed him, having been told by Rizusa that doting on him was Ayumi's favorite way of detoxing from stresses. What stresses he wasn't sure, but she was insistent that he let Ayumi dote on him. For two days.

"Hehe. Good?" she asked.

"Y-yeah…"

"Oi, kid!" Ayumi turned to see Fat Gum lumbering their way.

"Fat!" she grinned.

"Oh! You and Tamaki on a date?!" he laughed, Ayumi grinning.

"Yep~" she took Tamaki's hand, the boy nearly passing out right then and there. "Tama promised me." He hid his face and stood behind Ayumi, trying to calm down.

"Haha, good job!" Fat Gum pat her head. "Well, have fun. I'll see you two around." He waved, patting Tamaki's back hard before grinning and hurrying off, food vendors calling out to him as he went.

"Enthusiasm… smothering…" he muttered, Ayumi grinning before squeezing Tamaki's hand, the boy looking up at her. "… N-not you, though…"

"I'm glad~ Sorry if this is too much~" she apologized, continuing to smile. "But I really wanted to spend more time with you… so…" she rubbed the back of his hand with her thumbs, Tamaki staring at her hands. They were small compared to his… He found them cute. He felt his ears burning a little as he realized what he was thinking, trying to calm down.

"Oh, what do we have here?" Some punk came up behind Ayumi. "Cute girl you got here. What, you siblings or somethin'?" he asked. His "friends" walked up behind Tamaki, the boy on edge realizing they were surrounded. "Lemme borrow her for a bit." He reached for Ayumi's shoulder, but before Tamaki could react, Ayumi grabbed the man's finger and bent it in an unusual direction, causing him to leap back. "Th-the hell-!?"

"I would leave now…" she turned to him, still smiling. "Before you really piss me off…" Tamaki could sense a certain energy from her that he rarely ever saw. He felt another punk put a hand on his shoulder to push him out of the way and again before he could react, Ayumi was behind him, twisting the man's arm at the elbow, causing him to collapse to the ground, begging for her to let go. "Keep your filthy hands off of Tama." She leaned over the man, her smile now much darker than it had been when she was looking at Tamaki.

"Ayumi…" he mumbled as the punks vowed their revenge and went running. She didn't respond, taking a deep breath. "Ayumi…?" he turned her around, seeing that uncontrollable rage in her expression. "It's okay…" he whispered, seeing it ebb out of her once he held her hand. "It's okay, Ayumi…"

"Tama…" she leaned against him, exhausted. "Sorry… I lost it there…" she smiled up at him.

"… You tried using your quirk to diffuse that situation, didn't you?" he asked, making Ayumi's eyes go wide in surprise. "It's why you got so angry…"

"I… you noticed…?" she asked, seeming embarrassed that he'd even noticed the use of her quirk. "I really can't keep a level head when it comes to people hurting you, Tama…" she smiled up at him. "So my quirk is really ineffective when I wanna protect you…"

"I-it's okay…" he said, knowing she was belittling herself in her head. She did it before too… when they were still at UA.

* * *

_Flashback: Tamaki's 2__nd__ Year at UA_

"Tama, are you okay?" Ayumi stared at her underclassman, standing with him and trying to help him calm down. He was panicking and trying to hide his face in the corner. "Tama?"

"I-I'm… alright… Ayumi-senpai." He was shaking though, so despite having class she didn't want to leave him alone. She stood there, tugging on his shirt to let him know she was still there. She stayed there until he was calm, and once he removed himself from the wall and the hallways were empty, she took his hand, causing him to jump. But he didn't run.

"Tama… are you really okay?" she asked, looking up at him. "I… I don't wanna go if you're not feeling okay…" she added, the concern in her eyes making Tamaki's face color bright red. She was so kind… so warm…

"I'm… not…" he squeezed her hand.

"Then I'll stay…" she smiled more, the two just standing there and holding hands. "What happened?" she asked after a long time.

"I… class… someone…" he mumbled out the rest of his words, but Ayumi got the gist. Someone had left a malicious note on his desk. He hid it from Mirio to not cause him to worry. Threatened him. Ayumi's grip on his hand got tighter and Tamaki could see the aggression building up in Ayumi's posture. "D-don't trouble yourself… and please… don't… get in trouble…"

"I won't… get in trouble, that is." She smiled up at him. "I prormise."

The following morning, Tamaki noticed that Ayumi was much more cheerful than the day before. "Tama~!" she rushed at him and hugged onto his arm, making him nearly pass out. "Hehe, sorry sorry~" she apologized, letting go to stand next to him. "No bad note on your desk today, right?"

"N-no…" he replied, noting something on her shirt collar. It was almost invisible, but… blood? "S-senpai… what did you…?"

"Oh, you saw?" she asked, smiling still. "I don't tolerate people who behave that way in a hero school… so I… talked to them about it…" she added cheerfully. "I… won't let anyone hurt you, Tama…"

"B-but…" he knew she could get in a whole lot of trouble for that… but he also noticed that she was she looked sad. "… Why did you…?"

"I was originally gonna just use my quirk to calm them down and talk to them… but then they said "So what if I left that note? He doesn't deserve to be here anyway." So I got really mad…" she mumbled. "I can't use it if I get mad… cause then it gets reversed… and I get REALLY mad…" she looked up at him, her eyes reflecting all those emotions. "I lose my head… and I cause trouble for Rizu-nee… it's the main reason why I never applied for the Hero Course… and why Rizu-nee really isn't in the class…" she added.

_Flashback End:_

* * *

Tamaki made sure she was calm before walking with her again, holding her hand despite his discomfort. She noticed a clam stand, rushing to grab some and leaving Tamaki standing on the side next to an accessory stand. He paused in his downwards glance, seeing something that caught his attention. A hairpin. It was small, but it was cute and it was beautifully crafted. "Eyeing out my merch for your girl?" the old vendor asked, grinning. Tamaki fumbled for words, but the old timer just shook his head. "S'okay kid, take it easy." Tamaki calmed down enough to breathe.

"H-h-how much…?" he asked, motioning to the piece.

"For you? Take it, kid." He stated. "You work with Fat Gum, right?" he asked. "And you're that girl's favorite person."

"Huh…?" he looked confused.

"I used to work in the prefecture that the Four Dragons ran operations. I moved because my wares got popular." He replied. "She's a real keeper, kid… call it… a blessing gift."

"B-b-b-blessing…?" Tamaki's ears colored even redder, the old man basically forcing the hair clip into his hands.

"Tama?" he heard Ayumi calling, immediately looking for her in the crowd. The street was so crowded, but she picked him out as soon as he looked up. She waved and headed back towards him, weaving through all the people. "Tama, I got a fresh one! They're really good!" she said, offering him some clams as he hid the hair pin behind his back. "Come on, there's another stand down the way too! Looks like good stuff!" Tamaki, almost forgetting his manners, turned to thank the old vendor. But the old man seemed to have vanished from view. Ayumi looked back when Tamaki did, wondering what he was looking at, then seeing him holding something in his hand. "Ne… what's that, Tama?" she asked.

"I… it's… for you." He managed, Ayumi looking up at him.

"For… me?" she admired it in his hands before looking up at him expectantly, Tamaki steeling his nerves and pinning it in her hair for the plumette. She took out her phone to see, smiling like the sun. "Tama it's beautiful! Just for that we need to take a selfie!"

"A-a-whaaaa?" he panicked a bit at first, but Ayumi somehow convinced him to strike a pose with her and they got their shot.

"Hehe~" she immediately turned that image into her screen saver. "Forever in my heart~" she proclaimed, Tamaki feeling like he'd keel over with all the attention she was giving him. But he found himself enjoying it all the same. They finished their trip around, content and full of good food. On their way back to the station, Ayumi turned to him. "Ne, Tama?"

"Y-yes…?" he asked, having managed to calm down enough to look at her. But as he did, she leaned up and pecked his cheek, causing his face to nearly explode, or at least the emotional equivalent. But instead of panicking and hiding his face behind his hands or against a tree, he stared at her for a good minute, leaning over and placing one on her cheek as well. "… You… shouldn't be so open about all this." He whispered, averting his gaze, but finding himself looking back at her once more. "I… It's too tempting… all this PDA…"

"Hehe… Tama knows what PDA is?" she asked, smiling. "You should do that more often." She added, rubbing his back to help calm him down. "I like receiving kisses from Tama."

"K-k-kiiii…" he began to shake, Ayumi apologizing again as he hid his face. But this time he hid it against her shoulder, trying to be brave. She smiled, letting him do as he liked. As much as she wanted to be mean and embarrass the heck out of him, she didn't want to scare him off. "S-s-senpai can't suggest that stuff… too much… my heart…"

"Hehe, I'm sorry~ I'll be a good girl till you can handle more, ne?" she pet his head again, letting him relax a bit before they continued back towards the station. If there was one thing for sure, it was that Ayumi was the happiest person alive in that moment.

* * *

"You know…" a boy with dark purple hair sat behind the stand, playing his video games. "I don't think you should be fueling the fire…" he added, looking to his left as the old man hid behind his own stand, peeking out once he was sure the couple had gone.

"You shouldn't be talkin' brat." He pat the boy's head. "That's yer sis we're talkin' bout. And your bum parents been causin' her too much trouble recently. 'Specially that old man of yours." He bit into a piece of candy. "B'sides, you're the one who wanted to come out here, usin' that quirk of yers and makin' those punks go over there… Shion won't thank ye fer that."

"Shion-baba won't be mad." He replied, turning his game off. "B'sides, sis is always making things harder… arguin' and stuff with our parents…" he sighed. "It's a wonder I can leave the house."

"Now now." He was pat on the head, taking the candy he was offered. "You wanna do the same one day, don't cha, Akira?"

"Che… so what?" he grumbled. "I gotta be all proper in that house, I hate it… but I can't leave yet." The two sat and continued to eat candy as the crowds died down. "Not till sis has her freedom…"

* * *

((NEW CHARCTER REVEAL! Ayumi's baby bro Akira makes his entrance! AND FLUFF STUFF HAPPENED!

Sorry I'm so excited and at the same time really exhausted hahaha...

I'm on a roll though... I'll try keep this up! At least for a day or two more until I'm too tired again...

-Winter Cheshire))


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5: Willingness

* * *

"Eeeh, Ayumi is lucky…" Emiko pouted as the plumette talked about her date with Tamaki. "Tama tama seems like he really is trying hard for you…"

"He seems very honest." Minako nodded. "Despite his constant anxiety he had the guts to tell Ayumi he was tempted… I'm surprised she's bringing out that side of him." The three were taking a day's break from the hard training they had begun when Rizusa insisted on making themselves stronger to be prepared to move back to their home at the end of the year, various things delaying their departure from UA. "But." She stated. "He's still a student…"

"Hehe, I'm behaving I promise." Ayumi grinned, wearing Tamaki's gift to her in her up-do. She took it off for training, but she wore it basically all the time otherwise. "But…" she pouted a little. "I kinda…"

"Kinda?"

"She wants to propose to him when he graduates." Rizusa walked in, carrying their snacks for the afternoon. While the kids were in class, they had their afternoon tea, a habit of Rizusa's. "So she can get out from under her parents."

"R-rizu-nee you don't gotta elaborate!" Ayumi made a face, but Rizusa just put her cup down and poured her tea. "I just…" she sighed. "I really want Tama that way, I do… but the sooner I get married the sooner my parents have to leave me alone, you know?" she pouted. "They keep trying to send me to see suitors so I just stay as busy as I can with Rizu-nee…"

"And the suitors are all those I do not approve, so I pull her away if she does get somehow sent to see them." Rizusa replied. "However, they've been getting sneakier… so I would appreciate SOMETHING being done… but I am in no place to tell her parents to stop trying to marry her off either…" All four girls sighed, looking mildly deflated at the thought. Minako's parents valued education above marriage, so she was fine marrying whoever… and Emiko's parents just wanted Emiko to be happy… but Ayumi's family was old fashioned in the way of marrying off daughters. Insisted it was necessary even though it made their daughter so uncomfortable.

"I…" Ayumi broke the silence, causing the other three to look up at her. "I don't think anyone else could ever make me happy… like Tama does." She stated, putting a hand over her shoulder. "He's so sweet… and kind… and even though he's skittish and nervous a lot of times, I've seen him be brave too… so…" she smiled. "So…"

"So he's the only logical answer." Rizusa replied. Ayumi smiled wider, knowing that Rizusa understood even just a smidge better than the others. "I just hope her parents see that…"

"I don't like causing them distress but they just won't back down about it at all." Ayumi pouted. "My father especially… it's irritating." She ate some snacks to ebb her disdain for her father. "I hate how he always talks about it like he gets a say…"

"You are his only daughter." Minako reminded her. "He must be protective."

"He's suffocating." Ayumi continued to pout, Emiko pushing more shacks towards her which she took gratefully. "It's not like I WANT to piss him off, you know? But he thinks its just me rebelling…" she added.

"Which is why, when we go back." Rizusa began, the group turning towards her. "We're going to talk to them, Ayumi."

"W-whaa?!" Ayumi exclaimed. "B-but Rizu-nee!"

"I will go with you." She stated. "But only as mediator…" she added. "And you have to bring Tama with us." She looked up at Ayumi, her second hand's face looking pale. "If you don't introduce them, how will they be convinced?" she asked. "Besides that…" she sighed. "I know that aunty will stop him from saying too harsh things in person, or at least reprimand him." She added, finishing her tea. "So… resolve yourself to standing up to him, Ayumi… by showing him not only what a splendid hero you have become with the conglomerate… but what a spectacular young hero you are wishing to spend the rest of your life with." Ayumi stared at Rizusa, taking in those words. She slowly nodded her head, Rizusa smiling a little at the fire she saw in Ayumi's eyes. It had been a long time… since she'd seen her so determined. "Finish your tea before it gets too cold." She added.

"… Yes, Rizu-nee…"

* * *

Tamaki sighed, knowing that Ayumi was stressed. He'd seen her looking almost haggard when walking the halls with Rizusa. He had felt his heartstrings tug, feeling like he should do something to help, but what? He fidgeted by himself for a day before finally asking Nejire and Mirio.

"Ohh? Ayumi-senpai is?" Mirio asked. "Well in that case why don't you make her dinner?"

"H-huh?" Tamaki's face went red as Nejire's eyes sparkled. Sure he had to learn to cook thanks to his quirk, but… "I-I didn't think… about that… she's always cooking for me so…" he pondered, Mirio grinning and giving him the thumbs up. "B-but what do I make? Wh-what if I pick something she doesn't like?"

"I doubt you could. Ayumi-senpai loves all food, right?" Nejire asked.

"That's right." All three turned to see Rizusa without her normal posse in tow. "And if I need remind you, Tama." She pat his head. "Ayumi learned to cook specifically for you." She added, Tamaki shivering a little. "As much as she likes to thank my teachings, I know her motive was and has always been for you." She added.

"For… me…?" he shook just thinking about it.

"That's right." She stated. "And also, she wants to borrow you when we head back to the conglomerate for a day." She stated.

"H-huh…?" Tamaki looked up at Rizusa, seeing the concern in her expression. "A-alright…"

"Good boy." She smiled, patting his head. "I'll be going. Gotta talk to Aizawa-sensei about stuff." She stated. "Ask her to talk, okay Tama?" she waved as she left, Tamaki wondering what could have been so important that Rizusa came to tell him instead of Ayumi. Mirio turned to Tamaki after waving bye to Rizusa despite her back being turned.

"Must be important… Rizusa-senpai doesn't usually ask for help like that."

"Help…?" Nejire looked confused. But Tamaki seemed to realize too…

"Please… save my second pillar…" Tamaki mumbled. "That's what she meant with those words…" Tamaki took out his phone, Nejire and Mirio grinning at one another, then at Tamaki as he typed, panicking over a few things and wondering what the best words would be. But he eventually got it together and sent the message. And as always, after just a minute, the reply came.

"So?" Nejire asked.

"She's… gonna come over… tonight…" he whispered, cheeks reddening.

"Good job!" Mirio approved, grinning. "Make her proud, Tamaki!"

"R-right…" he nodded, feeling his heart rate pick up. But… if Ayumi needed him, he'd deal with it… he wanted to be good to her like she was to him… he wanted to be able to show her a side aside from the stuttering, anxiety riddled boy he'd always been in front of her. "I… I guess its good… that I got groceries already…"

* * *

Ayumi walked up to the third year dorms, seeing Tamaki standing outside for her. "W-welcome…" he muttered softly, Ayumi taking his hand. "I-I hope… you're hungry… dinner's almost ready." He added, leading her to the kitchen. He had all sorts of things cooking, Ayumi looking amazed.

"Waah, Tama there's so much…" she stared, Tamaki smiling a little. That look of wonder on her face made it worth it, making all these dishes.

"Are you okay sitting for a bit? I-I just have to finish a couple of things…"

"I can help if you want." She smiled, Tamaki blushing. "Hehe, if you trust me I the kitchen, anyway." He nodded, letting her join him. He told her what he needed done, Ayumi going straight to work. Tamaki watched her, though, seeing that distracted look on her face. It bothered him. More than his anxiety, more than his panic… watching Ayumi be so listless bothered him. He bit his lip, walking up behind her as she finished cutting the green onions and wrapping his arms around her. He felt her jump a little, burying his face against her hair. "Tama…?"

"Ayumi… what's wrong…?" he asked softly. "Please… I… seeing you so tame is… concerning." He muttered. "I'm so used to you being affectionate… and insisting on teasing me… I… I want you to…" he paused, Ayumi taking the moment to turn and look up at him. "I want you to tease me… It lets me know you're okay…" he stated, Ayumi staring.

"Tama…" she wrapped her arms around him gently, making him tremble a little. "Sorry… I didn't realize it was so different from how I behave normally." She nuzzled him, feeling Tamaki's arms wrap around her. "Didn't mean to worry you…"

"I know." He whispered, rubbing her back like he was so used to her doing for him. "But… I'm here for you… okay?" he leaned against her a little more. "I… I know I'm always nervous but…" he leaned over and propped his chin on her shoulder. "But if you ever need me… I'll be there, okay?" Ayumi felt her heart skip a beat. He was such a good boy.

"Thank you… Tamaki." She whispered, placing a kiss on his ear, making him want to jump but instead stayed there as she continued. "My sweet boy…" she whispered, Tamaki closing his eyes and doing his best to not let go. But this was different from her normal teasing. "My Tama…" He felt one of her hands entangle in his hair, the other still around his waist. Her whispers were right next to his ear, and the sporadic kisses made Tamaki whimper. "I'm sorry for worrying you… I'll make up for it, I promise…"

"A-ayumi…" he managed to get her name out, but his tone was pleading. He knew it. His ears were bright red from embarrassment, and Ayumi was holding him still. "Th-the food…"

"Oh, can't let it go to waste, ne?" she smiled up at him, letting him up from her grasp in that instant. Tamaki was panting a little, trying to compose himself. But at least he got her smiling again, even at his own expense. They got their food, delivering the rest to Mirio and Nejire since Tamaki insisted on not having leftovers, then retreated back to his room. They ate in relative silence, enjoying the meal while watching the news together. Once finished and dishes done, Tamaki sat down next to Ayumi and allowed her to lean on his shoulder.

"Was there… something you wanted to talk about?" he asked.

"… Rizu-nee told you, huh?" Ayumi smiled. "I'm going to talk to my parents in person… for the first time since I entered UA." She stated, Tamaki feeling her playing with his hand as she talked. "I… wanted you to meet them…"

"M-me…?" he looked at her, seeing her staring up at him.

"Well, yeah…" she smiled. "Don't panic when I tell you this okay? I was trying to find a good time to ask… to talk about it…" she stated, knowing that surprise tactics did NOT go over well with Tamaki. "Are we… together?" she asked him. "You know… dating?"

"D-d-da-dating…" he turned away, trying to breathe. "I… I like to think… so…" he mumbled, Ayumi smiling. "But I can never be sure… if that's just me hoping…" he added. "Because I still don't know… what you could ever see in me… that's attractive enough to make you want to date me…"

"I see a brave, kind soul." She stated simply. "I see a sweet boy who values his friends above all else… and a most splendid hero that has bloomed…" she added. Just listening to her made Tamaki want to hide in the corner. "I see the boy… no, the man I want to spend the rest of my days with…" she added, Tamaki almost jumping out of his skin as she suddenly started tracing around his ring finger. "But I don't want to panic you so I feel like I can't ask until you're comfortable…"

"A-are you sure… you'd be okay… with someone like me?" he asked.

"Of course… I want no one else, Tama." She pulled his hand up to her mouth and kissed the back of his palm, making him shiver. "I've never wanted anyone else… even if you're anxious, even if you're nervous, that's okay with me." She gripped his hand tighter. "If I didn't think it would break you, I'd have proposed already." She added.

"P-p-p-pr-pro-o…"

"See? It's too much right now, right?" she leaned up and nuzzled against him. "So… for now… I'll wait patiently…" she kissed his cheek. "But… one day, ne?" she asked, Tamaki's heart ready to jump out of his chest. She was so straight forward, but he was so happy…

"I… I promise… when I can… handle the thought better…" he leaned over and placed a soft, almost fluttering kiss on her forehead. "I'll let you know…" That promise made Ayumi smile. Even if it wasn't official yet, it made her far less stressed. At least he was willing to try. That was all she wanted for now. The two spent the rest of the night watching movies, soon falling asleep on the floor together, holding one another's hand.

* * *

((Okay now that the dramatic stuff is done for the time being, more fluff can happen. Maybe a little smut... maybe. If Tamaki can handle.

Thanks for reading so far! Do you guys like it?

-Winter Cheshire))


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6: Progress

* * *

Tamaki was sitting with Ayumi in a restaurant, having been dragged on a date with her after leaving Fat Gum's office. Thankfully it wasn't crowded, but he was still nervous. This was a tough part of Kansai, but Ayumi insisted on coming here. "Tama, what do you wanna eat?" she asked, her Kansai accent peeking through just a tiny bit.

"Um… what do you recommend?" he asked her, Ayumi turning to him with a smile.

"It's all good but…" she pouted. "Tama would like…" he smiled a little as she thought hard about it, glad that she had brought him despite his unease. He'd rather be with her than worry about her being in a place like this alone. The eyes were all on them too… "Fried Clams and miso sauce… and then maybe some crispy rice bites with beef…?" she looked up at him. "There's good mustard chicken too~"

"… Okay…" he nodded. This place had a strange menu, but Tamaki was always up for new types of food.

"Hehe~ Then we'll order those~" They placed their order and started to chat about Tamaki's day, Ayumi pausing when someone came up behind them.

"Oi oi, where do you two get off? A cute couple being in a place like this ain't cool…" Tamaki's expression dropped a little, obviously taking that as an insult in his decision making. "It ain't safe for kids to hang around here anyway…" The man reached for Tamaki's shoulder, but before he touched him, Ayumi's hand slapped him away. "The hell-?!" he paused though, Tamaki turning to see that glare in his plumette companion's eyes.

"Oi oi…" another man stated, seeing the glare. But the first would not back down.

"What, defending your boyfriend?" the man asked. "Pathetic that he's gotta have his girl defend him-!" he stopped when a punch connected to his nose, flying back into a nearby empty table.

"Oi oi oi…" Ayumi stood up from her stool, Tamaki's hand reaching up to grab her arm to stop her. As much as he appreciated it, he didn't want her getting in trouble because of him.

"Tama… let go." She stated. "He insulted you."

"Ayumi, it's fine… it's nothing new…"

"I don't care. I won't punch him again, so please… Let go." She stated. Tamaki sighed, doing as she asked, trusting her since she was normally so level headed. The man got up, charging to hit back only to be met with a sweeping kick, his arm being twisted behind his back as his face was slammed into the floor. "You idiots wanna fight? Hah?" she asked, her Kansai accent becoming much more prominent. "I don't take kindly to that damn attitude of yours… and where do we get off? What about you punks? Hah?" she twisted his hand more, causing him to apologize and begin to beg for her to let go, his comrades backing off. "Bothering people when they're mindin' their business? You're askin' to get your heads handed to ya."

"Ahh, Ayu's at it again huh?" the waiter placed their food down in front of Tamaki, noting his worry and tenseness. "It's okay, I'm sure you know since you're datin' her… but even as a middle schooler, Ayu would put punks in their place." He stated. "After all, bein' a member of the Conglomerate, she ain't exactly a pushover."

"C-conglomerate?" the man beneath Ayumi froze, glancing up over his shoulder at the girl. She let go and backed off, crossing her arms over her chest. It was only then that her ring was visible. That symbol of her membership in the Four Dragons Conglomerate shimmered in the dim light. The realization of who they'd picked a fight with dawned on the man, making them all freak out and kneel in front of her. "F-forgive me!" he exclaimed. "I-I won't do it again, Lotus-ane!"

"Lotus… ane…?" Tamaki looked confused.

"I'll forgive you if you leave. Now." She stated. "Next time I'll beat your head into the wall." They ran without further word, Ayumi taking a deep breath and going to sit next to Tamaki. The staff let out a sign of relief, cleaning up and thanking Ayumi in passing as they went back to their jobs. "Sorry." She said to him, looking pouty. He rubbed her back, wondering what all that had been about and why she looked so bothered about it all.

"Can you… tell me why he used that suffix? It'snormally a yakuza term, right? Or was that just an accent?" he asked.

"Lotus is a part of my moniker as a hero." She replied. "I'm the Black Lotus of the conglomerate and all… I'm well known as far as my martial arts goes… but cause my accent comes out when I get mad, people started calling me Lotus-ane to show respect… I don't like it though, I'm not yakuza… and I'm not that scary… am I?" she asked him, Tamaki letting her cling to him a little as she calmed down. "I don't wanna be that scary… Besides, the name only picked up after that one time I really beat up these punks picking on the mom of a big-time reporter in the streets…"

"There, there." He muttered, rubbing her back. "The food's warm… we should eat." He added, Ayumi nodding a little against his shoulder. "I-if… you want… I can try feeding you some?" he asked, causing her eyes to widen.

"Really…?" she asked, Tamaki averting his gaze, still unable to directly make eye contact when she was being so cute. He adored her, though… he loved her, though the words were still hard to come by. "Tama… you're such a good boy~"

* * *

That night, since Ayumi felt clingy, Tamaki brought her back to his room. She waited for him to come back from his bath, starting to doze off. She heard the door open, looking up to see him in his black oversized tee and sleep pants. "Welcome back." She smiled up at him.

"Th-thanks…" he sat down next to her, drying his hair as she rolled onto her back, closer to his leg. He noticed her staring, wondering why she always looked at him so intently. "Y-yes…?"

"You're really sexy." She stated, Tamaki nearly blowing a gasket.

"Wh-what?"

"Hehe…" she tugged on his pant leg, looking amused. "Tama is all cute and stuff on the surface, but under all that baggy clothing is a really sexy boy, ne?"

"A-ayumi, what…? H-have you been drinking or something?" he tried to keep level, but she just kept it coming.

"If not for the slouch, you have this really cool air about you… and your eyes are intense… and you're super, suuuuper well built, you know?" she cooed. "But then there's the cute side and I loooove to tease you cause it makes you more vulnerable…" Tamaki was a little confused, but he didn't mind… it was just super embarrassing. "But you know? That's not the best part about you, Tama~" she added, Tamaki managing to look down at her again. "The best part is that Tama is a good boy~ You accept my feelings even though its embarrassing and maybe a little scary~ And you take good care of me~" she smiled, Tamaki's expression softening. "That's why I wanna marry you, kay?" she tugged on his pants, curling up next to his leg.

"… Okay." He pet her head. "Gonna pick you up, don't move too much." He got to his knees, picking her up and lifting her into his arms, carrying her to the bed so she could sleep somewhere comfortable. She was practically asleep so he didn't mind so much. He put her down on his mattress, moving her hair from her face, staring for a little while. Her cheeks were a little plump, making him want to touch them. He studied her face. Soft lips that had this soft pink hue… tiny freckles that were barely noticeable at a distance, but just dark enough to see. He knew she didn't like them, but they were adorable. He wanted to kiss them. He caught himself leaning in to kiss her, wanting to pull back in embarrassment, but also his heart racing like this made him want her more. "You're the sexy one, Ayumi…" he grumbled, almost disappointed that she'd fallen asleep already.

"Tama…" she whispered, curling up and clinging to him. He froze, but she didn't wake up. He sighed a little in relief. His mind was already running wild with ideas, had been since she mentioned marriage. All this time spent in each other's company made Tamaki feel like if there was anyone he could be with that closely, it was Ayumi. Sure other people made him nervous… but no one adored him so unconditionally, not like she did.

"My Ayumi…" he muttered, hugging onto her despite being embarrassed, feeling her latching onto him like a vine, seemingly searching for warmth. He pecked her forehead, enjoying to softness he felt pressing against him, relaxing as he felt her squeeze him tight. "I… love you." He whispered softly, soon yawning and falling into sleep himself.

* * *

The next morning, Tamaki awoke to someone rubbing his back, having almost forgotten about the previous evening. "Morning, Tama~" he almost jumped back out of the bed, seeing Ayumi smiling at him and anchoring him into the bed. "Sorry, you were so cute~" she smiled. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"A-ayumi…" he was flustered, but he soon calmed down just enough to hide his face against her shoulder. "G-good… morning." He mumbled, hoping his heart wasn't beating too hard, trying to avoid looking down her shirt by burying his face further in her shoulder.

"Tama~ You don't have to look away~" she cuddled him, purposefully pressing him closer to her chest. "I know~ I heard from Mirio~" she giggled. "You like boobs, right?" Tamaki almost died at the mention of it. When had he told her? "They aren't as good as Rizu-nee's rack but they're decent at least." She giggled, Tamaki in that moment choosing to be brave and bury his face against her breasts. She made a cute noise, the teen pressing harder against her. "… Tama?"

"They're perfect…" he whispered. "… and so are your freckles… Just like the rest of you."

"Aww, Tama you're such a sweetie~" she cooed, giggling as she trailed her hands along his ears, making Tamaki shudder. "Complimenting me so much… And so adorable in the morning… I could seriously get used to this…" she smiled, kissing his forehead once he looked up from being nose-first against her bosom. "Would you like that…?" she asked him, earning a small nod from the young man in her arms. "Then I'll be sure to give you hugs that let you smoosh yourself against my boobs every day~"

"E-every… day…?" And with that, Tamaki Amajiki passed out.

* * *

"I told you not to over do it." Rizusa sighed as Tamaki regained consciousness. He was still in his room but there were others now too. "Miri, tell her." She pouted, Mirio laughing and waving his hand around dramatically, Ayumi laughing a little with him.

"He's fine though!" he stated. "Just sleeping!"

"Miri." The sharpness in Rizusa's tone made him flinch just a tiny bit. "Oh, he's up!" she stated, Ayumi whipping around to see him.

"Tama!" she clung to him as he sat up, nuzzling him as she managed to squeeze herself into his arms and wedge her head under his chin. "I'm sorry! I didn't think you'd pass out from that!"

"I… how long was I out…?" he asked, Mirio grinning.

"Just long enough for Rizusa-senpai and myself to get here." He stated. Tamaki nodded, hugging Ayumi lightly and rubbing her back. "Did you two spend the night?"

"M-mirio!" he panicked, the blonde grinning still. "S-speaking of why did you tell her? O-or more accurately when?" he looked almost put out. Mirio didn't have a moment to speak before the bluenette in the room intervened.

"Oh, that was my fault." Rizusa immediately took blame, raising her hand a little. "I asked him to tell Ayumi something that would make her laugh."

"… Huh?" Rizusa explained the situation as Ayumi having been feeling sick and since Rizusa was god-awful at trying to make jokes, she called on Mirio. But when none of his jokes worked, he resorted to "juicy secrets" of Tamaki's, knowing that the girl would never divulge them to anyone since she was so in love with Tamaki.

"Hehe, Miri gave me juicy info to get me laughin', ya know?" Ayumi grinned. Tamaki was glad that Rizusa didn't know at least.

"That doesn't mean you should use it on Tama." Rizusa shook her head at her cousin. "Anyway, we have a conference call with the conglomerate, let's go." She told Ayumi, causing her to pout. But she followed obediently, leaving the room.

"Tama, next time I'll go with you to see Fat, okay? I gotta give him his birthday present." She pecked his forehead before rushing off behind Rizusa, grinning and hugging onto the bluenette leader as they left the 3rd year dorms.

"O-okay…" he waved as she left, sighing in relief once Mirio was the only one left in the room.

"So so." Mirio elbowed his friend. "Did you two have a good time?" he asked. It wasn't meant to embarrass Tamaki, Mirio was just checking on him after all.

"… Yeah." He smiled, Mirio looking almost surprised before he smiled wide with his friend.

"Good! Now you gotta propose to her!"

"P-pr-pro-prooooo…" And once more, Tamaki Amajiki passed out.

* * *

((Some cliche fluffy stuff for you all before something serious happens!

Hope you're ready!

-Winter Cheshire))


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7: Shattered

* * *

"Again?" Rizusa asked, looking up at Ayumi as she stood there with a smile. "You really love working with Fat and Tama, don't you?" she sighed, the puppy dog eyes on her second hand making her less resistant to the idea. "Well if you go don't do anything dangerous, okay?" she asked. "You should be taking Steele, too." She motioned to the little grey dragon doll in front of her on the desk.

"No need." She smiled. "I'm just running errands, so I don't think I'll need any weapons at all."

"… You sure?" Rizusa turned to her. Ayumi nodded. "… Be careful, then…" she muttered. Ayumi grinned and hugged Rizusa, the bluenette grumbling about her back before Ayumi let go.

"Thank you, Rizu-nee~ I'll bring you back something good, okay?"

"… Fine." She replied. Ayumi rushed off, Rizusa looking up as the door closed. She sighed, the little grey dragon doll named Steele looking up at her from his place laying on the desk.

"Sup, boss?" he asked, twitching his tail.

"She worries me… is all." She stated. "I wonder if she's getting too comfortable… spending all this time with Tamaki and Fat Gum… I mean, she's strong sure… but…" she shook her head. "It worries me when she doesn't take you along I guess."

"Mm… that so?" he tilted his head, plopping it back down. "I can follow her if ya like."

"No… she said she didn't need you to go…" she replied, still looking uneasy. "I… I gotta learn to trust her more…" Steele sat up and nudged her hand with his head, making her stop reading paperwork to rub between his horns. "Sorry… I know you guys react to my unease…" she added, smiling a little. "I just gotta trust that she's okay…"

* * *

Tamaki sat with Ayumi on the train to Fat's Agency, face red as she did her best to keep his attention off all the people. Showing him cute videos of fluffy animals, new recipes she wanted to try making for him, and things she thought were cool, Tamaki seeming rather relaxed about sitting so close and looking over her shoulder as she scrolled for the next thing to show him. "Oh, and this one looks good too, ne?" she smiled, Tamaki nodding his head.

"That looks really good…" he added. "We should try and make something… next time we get to cook together…" he whispered, Ayumi grinning wide. "Wh-what…?"

"You're so cute~ This is why you'd be a great husband~" she said, Tamaki's face turning bright red. "Ah, sorry, sorry~" He hid his face against her shoulder, making her smile. She watched his ears twitch a little, as though feeling her staring. They were bright red and everything, that made her want to play with them. She wondered if Tamaki would panic, though, so she decided against it.

"D-don't stare…" he mumbled, making her apologize and ruffle his hair a little.

"Okay, okay~ I'll load the next video, ne?" she looked for another video, noting his reflection on her screen focusing on the phone in front of him. She thought he was adorable, and thankfully thanks to getting the tiniest bit braver, he would use her to hide behind rather than trying to find a corner or wall. That made her really happy that he trusted her enough to feel comfortable hiding against her instead of leaving her side to do so as he had been before. "Oooh, what's this?" she got a news alert, opening it. They both read it over.

"Attacks in Kansai…?" Tamaki sat up and grabbed Ayumi's phone reflexively to read the article over better, Ayumi letting him do as he liked. The seriousness in his expression made her smile too. In her opinion, Tamaki was incredibly attractive when he was serious. And the intensity of his stare made her want to look him in the eyes when he did have that look on his face. "Slasher…? They all like swords too much." He grumbled, Ayumi rubbing his shoulder as he handed her phone back to her, leaning his forehead into his hand.

"Don't they?" she asked, smiling. "First Gin, then Stain, what's next?" she asked.

"… You better not leave the office when we get there, okay?"

"Eh? But I was gonna help Fat run errands…" she pouted. "Like the post office and stuff…"

"… But…"

"I can take on a slasher, no problem." She grinned. "Ne? Tama?" He stared at her, sighing and leaning back against her shoulder. He took a few breaths, knowing she wasn't going to change her mind despite his worry. He admired her confidence, but he was still going to worry anyway. He rubbed her back a little, making her smile.

"As long as you're careful." He mumbled under his breath, looking up at her a little. "Okay?"

"Of course~ I'll be as safe as can be~"

* * *

Ayumi had left the office to run a few errands for Fat Gum, finally finishing them. She stretched a little, headed back to the office. As she walked, she felt watched. She'd noticed them earlier, but until now they'd just been watching from a distance. Now she could clearly hear footsteps, and they were closing in. The plumette took a breath and continued walking, heading into an alley. This was not ideal… she didn't have any backup with her since she told Rizusa she was just running errands for Fat Gum. She only had some basic self defense weapons, but just the aura she was feeling made her worry about whether that would be enough. She whipped around, slamming the person into the wall that was nearest to her, dodging another trying to grab her arm.

"Creeps." She muttered. They all had weird looks on their face, and they all seemed like just your standard run of the mill creeps that were willing to do anything to "have fun". The kind that Ayumi hated. The kind that pursued her all her life.

"Che, hold still!" one of them extended his arm, causing Ayumi to gasp and back flip out of the way, the man using his elongated limbs to try and grab her. "Shit, stop movin'! You're supposed to be the easy one to catch!" Why would someone try and catch her? She didn't like the sound of that… She whipped out a small knife and sliced the man's palm as he tried to grab her leg, causing him to scream and pull his hand back and grip it as it bled. "Damn it!"

"That's a seriously bad idea, you know? I could take you down in a heartbeat if I really wanted to." She added. "You lack training to take me on." She added, slashing at another person coming at her and kicking him into the dumpster.

"Damn, she's stronger than she lets on…"

"We can totally take her, there's way more of us!" another exclaimed, none of them having expected her to be nearly this strong. "Damn, and here I thought she'd be an easy score.

"Score…?" Ayumi's glare sharpened as she heard that. "You types… make me sick." She grabbed the nearest punk and slammed him face down into the pavement, his comrades all panicking a little. "Don't underestimate me… just cause my quirk isn't for combat." She stated, looking far more dangerous. They were just street punks looking to do unsightly things to her. That made her angry, no more than that… it made her want to beat them up really bad. She did her best to breathe normally, but she knew she wasn't gonna tolerate that. She'd knocked down three so far and injured another, and though there were more, she had a trick up her sleeve.

"The hell, she's crazy!" one exclaimed, two trying to flank her and box her in. But it was more out of fear than tactics. She hadn't wanted to use this because of how violent it was… but in a pinch, this was one of an arsenal of tactics she had. Plus, since their intention had been to steal something she had been keeping for Tamaki, she got even angrier. No one was going to have their way with her without her consent.

"Scum." She took a breath, glancing left and right to gauge the enemies closing in. She jumped up just as the villains got to where she had been. Using the wall as a launch point, she flew back at them before she slammed her boots down on the backs of their heads, standing over them as they lay there, defeated. "Dragon Style…"

"Black Lotus…" she whipped her head towards the voice, just in time to see someone standing just far enough away where she couldn't reach with a punch or a kick. He'd been in range, but he knew… "The Second Pillar shall fall today." He drew out a long sword behind his back, Ayumi cursing under her breath.

"I'm no pushover, ya know…" she said with her suppressed Kansai accent coming out, pulling her staff out from her garter, the knife back in her pocket. This was really bad news. "If ya think you can… come get me."

* * *

Fatgum was patrolling around the area, having heard a report of some guy wandering around with a sword. He didn't seem the dangerous type, but it was something that was strange. Not too many people wandered around with real swords… suspicious news required investigation. Tamaki had split off from him to check another street, since this area had plenty small alleys. He continued to wander, soon hearing what sounded like a fight. Metal clashing against metal?

"Oh man, just what I don't need…" he rushed towards the noise, nearly getting hit in the face with a metal staff. "Whoa!" he jumped aside, looking into the alley. It was dimly lit, but he could see enough, eyes widening to see someone standing over a girl… but not just any girl. His anger spiked, seeing a seriously injured Ayumi on the ground, bleeding heavily. "Hold it!" he exclaimed, the person with the sword jumping back and out of the way, Fat wanting to pursue but choosing not to. He couldn't risk the villain circling back around to attack her and finish the job like he had with the other bodies… but also, that person had felled one of the best fighters he knew. "Kid!" Fat Gum turned once the villain had fled, seeing all the injuries all over Ayumi's body. Countless small cuts, but they were all bleeding. There were no stabs… just slices. It looked almost like 1000 Blades Gin's work. "Hang on, Kid!" he called for an ambulance, Ayumi taking a breath and looking up, seeming out of whatever trance she'd been in. "Kid, you okay?"

"Fat…?" she asked, obviously disoriented thanks to the blood loss. He gave instructions to the ambulance before hanging up. "Everything hurts…" she tried to brace herself against the ground, but a hand stopped her.

"Don't move, the ambulance is on the way." He stated, not wanting to risk moving her and causing more blood loss.

"Ambulance…?" she mumbled, Fat gently rubbing her head. As he took in the surroundings to search for clues, noting blood splattered all around, he called the next person he thought he should, the name making Ayumi look up at him. But he wasn't looking down… body parts lay scattered in and around the dumpster nearby, blood pooling around it. At least 5… maybe more…

Tamaki had just bought snacks for himself, Fat Gum, and Ayumi to share at the office from a vendor on the street, remembering Ayumi saying that she wanted takoyaki before she'd gone off to get some stuff to the post office for Fat Gum. Not that it was uncommon, but he thought she'd appreciate the gesture. He found himself thinking about what it would be like if he could patrol with her all the time, his phone ringing though and snapping him out of his trance. "Fat?" he asked into the phone, wondering why Fat Gum was calling him.

"Tamaki! Are you near the convenience store?" he asked. Did he want drinks? But the tone in his voice was worrying. He sounded bothered…

"Yeah, I'm about a block away… what's wrong?" he asked as he began walking to the convenience store with their snacks in hand.

"Get over here, we have a problem! I'm in the alley next to the store!" The alley? Had someone been attacked by the slasher.

"O-okay, I'll be there." He hung up, hurrying towards the location more urgently. Fat hoped he would hurry. It pained the pro to not tell him what was wrong, but he didn't want him to have a break down out in the street by telling him about this. Especially because he noticed Tamaki being more calm around Ayumi than he had been. His behavior clued Fat in on the fact that they were getting closer… maybe properly dating? He looked down at the girl who'd interned with him, Ayumi was drifting between unconsciousness and being awake, so Fat did his best to keep her focused.

"Kid, you and Tamaki finally kiss?"

"Haha… not yet…" she muttered. "Maybe… he'll want to soon…" she was breathing at least, and no blood in her lungs, at least not seriously enough to inhibit her breathing. "It's all… puppy love… small PDA…" she added, Fat grinning and trying to keep her talking. "No serious kisses yet… but he's definitely more comfortable about PDA than he was before…"

"That's great, Kid! I knew you'd be able to get Tamaki out of his shell eventually!" He did his best to sound enthusiastic, despite knowing that Ayumi was in a bad way. Not long after, he heard the steps approach, looking up to see Tamaki at the end of the alley. And the look on his face crushed Fat's heart.

"A… Ayumi…?"

* * *

((I might not be able to post again for a while, we'll see... In the mean time though, please review and let me know if you're enjoying it so far!

I don't mean to hurt Tama's feelings with this happening, but angst and stuff goes so well and makes the fluff all the better i think. Ehehe...

Stay tuned for next time~

-Winter Cheshire))


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8: Promises

* * *

"Tama…?" Ayumi leaned into Tamaki's arms, feeling faint. She didn't understand what was going on, but he was there with her. All she remembered was that she'd been fighting off someone with a sword, but she thought she was winning. Tamaki looked so distraught so she assumed she was beat up really bad, Ayumi grasping at his hero suit. He was practically in tears, seeing her laying there. Bleeding all over, hardly moving…

"Ayu… Ayumi…" he leaned over her, trying so hard to not cry.

"Don't cry, Tama…" she whispered softly, smiling despite how much pain she must have been in. "No tears… Please?" but that just sent Tamaki over the edge, causing him to wrap around her and sob. "Tama…"

"I'm sorry…" he sobbed, clinging to her. "Ayumi I'm so sorry!" Fat Gum stood with them just a few steps away. She had lost so much blood… it was terrifying that she was still going. Fat Gum stood watching for the ambulance, letting Tamaki cry and Ayumi comfort him as much as she could in her current state.

"Kid, I'm calling Rizusa."

"Okay… sorry… to bother you with that." She muttered, obviously tired. Fat Gum sighed, putting out a call to the young head of the Four Dragons. One ring… two…

"This is Rizusa."

"Rizusa … It's Fat… you need to come to the hospital closest to my agency." He stated.

"Hospital…?" she paused. "Fat Gum, what's wrong?"

"… Ayumi… was attacked."

"What…?" the break in Rizusa's voice made Fat Gum's heart hurt. He heard a door and people shouting after Rizusa in the background. She must have been in a meeting or something. "Is she okay? What happened?"

"I'll explain when you get here… so for now…" he muttered. "Just get here quick."

* * *

Rizusa arrived just after her cousin went into surgery, and for the first time Tamaki saw the brave face of the bluenette crumble away entirely, tears in her eyes as Fat explained what he'd seen. She looked like she could just die right then and there. He'd never seen her that way. But he understood why. These two had been close since they were kids, and they were family too. He began to spiral down into a state of sadness, blaming himself. How he should have gone with her, how he should have just made her patrol with him instead of letting her go off on her own… how it was all his fault… saying I love you when she couldn't hear him caused this whole ordeal, he thought… but when Rizusa sat down next to him to calm down, he heard her mumble something that broke that trance.

"… My fault." She said softly.

"Rizusa-senpai…?"

"It was my fault, Tama…" she bit back a sob, gripping her own arms to stop herself from shaking. "I let her leave without sending Steele with her… I should have made her take him… how the hell could I be so stupid, to let her leave without her arsenal?"

"… Rizusa-senpai…" Tamaki knew that feeling, so he just sat with her. After a long silence, he spoke up again. "We… can't go blaming ourselves…" he mumbled, Rizusa turning to him. "That… would make her… really sad… Right? She'll… she has to be okay…" he said, the bluenette managing to wipe her tears. "Right?"

"Ayumi's strong… stronger than me, that's for sure." Rizusa said with a small smile. "And there's one thing I know for sure… that she'd never leave you alone, Tama…" she added, Tamaki looking over at her.

"… Right…" The two sat in relative silence before the doctor came out, stopping near them.

"Are you miss Ryugazaki?" he asked, Rizusa looking up and nodding her head. "She's doing fine… the surgery to clean her up was a success so she needs to rest. However…" he paused. "There was some sort of paralysis agent in her system."

"Paralysis…?" Rizusa could only think back to the time Gin took her on and that villain saved her. "I see." She mumbled, looking bothered. "But she's doing okay?"

"Yes she's doing just fine." The doctor smiled. "She needs a while to recover but once she's rested for a bit you can go in and see her. I know she's missing both of you."

"B-both of us…?" Tamaki asked, the doctor smiling still.

"Never in my career have I heard someone fresh out of surgery worry so much about the person who saved her." He stated, Tamaki feeling his heart swell a little. Rizusa smiled as well, patting Tamaki's shoulder, making him jump a little. After waiting around, the nurse finally told them they could go see their injured friend. Rizusa left Tamaki with Ayumi to keep an eye on her while she was debriefed by Fat Gum, getting more intel on what had happened and what was going to be done about it. She was obviously upset, but was keeping as level a head as she could.

"Tama…" Ayumi lay in the hospital bed, Tamaki's hands trembling as he reached out for her. "I'm sorry… You ended up rescuing me even after I said I would be okay…" she chuckled, looking like she was ready to pass out.

"Please, just save your strength…" he whispered, trying not to cry. "Please, Ayumi…" he leaned his forehead against the back of her hand. "Please don't go…" he whispered, trying to keep composed even though the weight he felt building on his shoulders was immense, seeing her in the hospital bed. The doctors had said she needed to be kept for observation, and even though they said she was okay, he had seen how much blood there was… how weak she was… it was terrifying to see her this way.

"Hehe, if I did that I'd never live it down… Rizu-nee would be mad too… I'm a pillar of the conglomerate, I'm not gonna die this easy." she smiled at him. "Plus, then I'd never get to see you smiling, Tama…" she turned her head to look at him. "I gotta see it one day… promise, ne?" she asked, clinging weakly to his hand. "A real bright, happy smile from my favorite hero~"

"I swear… when you get out of this hospital, I'll smile… only then, okay?" he let her wipe his tears with her hand, sniffling and trying to be strong for her. She was still giving him all these compliments, even in her current state, even though he blamed himself.

"Hehe, you're a good boy, Tama…" she smiled wider. "This is why I love you, ya know?" she giggled, Tamaki's hands slowing in the trembling. "I love Tama lots and lots…"

"… Ayumi…" he let her fall back asleep, hearing the door open slowly behind him. He bit his lip, sobbing a little. He wanted to say those words to her too, wanted to make her smile more. But he wanted her to pull through, so it hurt. He was terrified that telling her would bring misfortune to her now that the thought had crossed his mind.

"Tama…" Rizusa said softly, Tamaki turning to see her eyes ablaze. "Are you going to stay with her?"

"I want to bring the person who did this to her in and put them behind bars." He stated, not letting go of Ayumi's hand while turning to Rizusa. "Are you going after them?"

"I am."

"For revenge?" he asked, feeling those emotions boiling.

"No. I'm going as a means to box them in… combat is not permitted in my condition." She replied, knowing her emotional state would only cause trouble. "They have yet to decide when and where, but once we find the perpetrator, we will commence the chase." She added.

"… And yet you're not going to be allowed into combat?"

"As my quirk will be of use, they will be using me at a distance. And knowing who boxed them in will be enough… I think." she stated, looking almost bothered. But even then, she knew it would have to be enough, he could tell. "Will you come with me, Tamaki Amajiki?" she offered her hand to him, causing him to stare for a moment. "Or will you stay here, protecting the girl who worked so hard for you? The girl that has proclaimed her feelings?" Tamaki stood and stared at the hand she had extended for him, trying to figure out his feelings. But finally, he sighed.

"… I will stay." He finally responded. "I don't want to leave her…"

"Good." She retracted her hand, as though she had been testing his response. "Keep her safe for me, Tama." She added, heading out the door. Tamaki had never heard her trust anyone with Ayumi's safety before… it was unnerving. "I promise they will know who brought them to justice." She added, walking down the hall. Tamaki turned back to Ayumi's bed and leaned over a little, petting her head as gently as he could.

"I see why you look up to her so much." He told Ayumi as she slept. "Even in the state of mind she must be in, she knows better… she's strong… if she gets the chance to, she'll always fight for you… and if she isn't given the chance, she projects her power and stops the enemy in their tracks…" he smiled softly. "You have a strong big sister, don't you Ayumi?" he leaned his forehead against the bar on the bed side, taking a deep breath. "Man, what am I getting myself into?" he asked softly. "Falling so deep with you…" he added, watching her sleep.

* * *

Tamaki woke up suddenly, looking around. He was still in the hospital. Ayumi was still asleep, too. He checked the time, seeing that it hadn't been that long… an hour, maybe two? He sighed, still holding Ayumi's hand. He saw a note next to him, picking it up to read it. Fat Gum's hand-writing scrawled on a piece of paper. "Rizusa and I went to go to a meeting, keep Ayumi company till I come back." He read, pausing. "Until I come back?" he asked, knowing that Rizusa should have been back too. It wouldn't have taken much to change that to "we" instead. "But where is Rizusa-senpai going…?" he mumbled, feeling the hand in his grip twitch, turning to see Ayumi opening her eyes.

"Tama…? What's wrong?" she asked softly.

"N-nothing." He turned, checking her over. "Are you rested?"

"A little…" she smiled. "You were talking…"

"S-sorry!"

"No no, no apologies silly Tama." She giggled. "I meant I heard you so I wanted to know who you were talking to."

"N-no one…" he whispered, holding her hand still. "Fat Gum went to a meeting to see what was going on with that guy that attacked you so…"

"Oh, okay." She smiled, not at all questioning whether Rizusa had gone along too. "Did you… stay with me this whole time?" she asked, looking to his hand. "It's so warm~" Tamaki's face turned even redder, making him fumble his words. Ayumi just kept smiling, enjoying his company and glad he wasn't crying anymore.

"Y-yeah." He mumbled, gripping her hand tighter. "I mean… I'm your… b-boyfriend and all…" he mumbled, doing his best to remain composed as he mentioned that relationship that they hardly talked about for his sake. "So, of course… I didn't want to go…"

"Hehe. My Tama." She smiled at him. "Such a sweetie."

"S-senpai, please…" he mumbled, feeling his cheeks burning. But they both were glad that the other was okay. "Wh-what did you want to eat for snacks…? I'm sure Fat's going to bring back something good." He added, knowing Fat had offered to bring him food and snacks to share with Ayumi.

"Hehe, anything Fat picks is good." She smiled, still holding his hand. "Have anything good recently?" she asked, Tamaki shaking his head a little. "Oh? No?"

"… It's just the same stuff…" he lifted his arm and showed her. "Beef bowl for breakfast." His arm turning to a cow hoof. "And the clams we had for lunch." He changed his hand into a clam shell. "I haven't eaten anything substantial since then." He added. "I was… too worried…" he added, changing his hand back to normal.

"Aww… Tama." She pouted. "You should have some good snacks then." She smiled. She began running her thumb over the back of his hand, Tamaki feeling himself calming down slowly. "Ne?"

"… Your quirk…?"

"No silly boy." She chuckled. "Just something that Rizu-nee did for me when I got really upset back home… I never let it show, but Rizu-nee always knew… said my smile was different." She added. "I couldn't use my quirk on you unless I absolutely had to." She added. "It would be weird, right…? If I had to use my quirk to calm you down all the time… I'd be a tool and not your girlfriend." She added, Tamaki staring at her hand on his. "I love you, Tama…"

"… I…"

"Are you scared?" she asked, Tamaki not wanting to make eye contact. "… Are you thinking… that my getting hurt was your fault…?" she asked. She could read him like a book. "Tama… please…? You don't have to use the words if they're uncomfortable… but not having you acknowledge is…" she squeezed his hand really tight, Tamaki squeezing back.

"I… you too… Ayumi…" he finally managed to get out, Ayumi smiling. "Sorry… I… those words…" he gripped the fabric over his heart, shaking as she held his hand so confidently. "Too much…"

"It's okay… just one more promise you gotta keep okay? I gotta hear them one day…" she added, Tamaki glancing up to see her smiling bright.

"… Okay." He smiled a tiny bit, glad that she was okay with waiting. "I… promise… one day."

* * *

((I love writing for these two... its crazy...

Hopefully I'll update the other fics soon too~ In the mean time, let me know what you guys think! Reviews always appreciated~ Same with favorites and follows~

-Winter Cheshire))


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9: Aihara Household

* * *

"Three more days, huh…?" Ayumi sighed, having been finally told when she could leave. However, she was worried about leaving. Not because she feared who attacked her; but worried her parents would come and find her and take her home. She hadn't heard anything about what happened to Rizusa since she left the hospital either, so she was worried. She looked to her side, seeing Tamaki asleep at her bed side, making her smile. "My dear Sun Eater…" she whispered.

"Awake?" Ayumi jumped, turning to the door to see a man in all black, his sharp blue eyes staring back at her.

"Amane…? I-I mean Brother…" she bowed her head.

"Don't bow, you'll aggravate your injuries… are you feeling better? And you don't have to worry about calling me that when mom and dad aren't here." He added, Ayumi smiling a little.

"I am… are the others…?" she glanced around warily but her brother shook his head.

"No… I'm the only one who came to see you." He stated. "Rizusa-sama asked me specifically." He added, Ayumi sighing in relief. Her oldest brother was the one always looking out for her, and the only one Rizusa would contact directly about things like this. Sure, her other siblings would be worried but she was sure she'd get a lecture about being safe from any other brother. Not Amane… never.

"That's Sun Eater is it?" he looked to Tamaki, then back to his sister. "He cares about you a lot…"

"You talked to him?" she asked softly. "You didn't scare him, did you?"

"No, I did not talk to him." He sighed at how defensive she was. "But seeing him asleep in a chair next to you when even the other Conglomerate members are not..." He replied, sipping his coffee. "Where's Rizusa-sama?"

"I… haven't heard from her." She shook her head. "Rizu-nee hasn't been heard from or seen in almost a week." She added. "I assumed she was on a mission…"

"Oh, she's on a mission alright." Ayumi turned to the door to see Emiko at the door, her older brother grinning at her side. His soft white hair was exactly like his little sister, but his eyes were different from Emiko's. They were way greener and much more energetic.

"Kiyoto…?" Ayumi tilted her head, Emiko walking over and placing the big basket of snacks at Ayumi's side. "Ehehe, Emiko that's a lot of snacks for 3 days." She said, Emiko shaking her head.

"Nah… it'll be just enough… with Tama tama here and all." She replied, Ayumi ruffling her friend's hair before she went back to stand with her brother.

"Rizu-sama went back to the conglomerate to use the information network." Kiyoto told them. And she left this for you, Ayu-sama." He walked over, placing the letter in her hand before stepping back. Ayumi opened the letter, reading it over slowly.

-Ayu. I'm sorry to leave when you're injured. It's unacceptable as a friend, but as your leader I had to. That villain entered a dragon's den looking for treasure, and he hurt you. He hurt my family. No one can do that. Even if it was unintentional, he has picked a fight with us. I told Tama to protect you, but I know he was planning on it already whether I asked or not. So… relax for a while. Stop burdening yourself with me and my problems. I'll be back soon, so please… take care of yourself for once… when I return, I will have a proper answer to what we will become as an organization.

Rizusa-

"Rizu-nee…" Ayumi felt tears welling up. She knew Rizusa could only leave if she trusted Tamaki completely with her safety. Tamaki slowly awoke, jumping at the sudden appearance of people. But noticing Ayumi crying, he immediately grasped her hand, asking what was wrong. Asking what he could do. "T-tamaaaa." She clung to him and cried, the boy's face turning bright red. "Tama I love you!"

"A-a-ayumi-senpai?" he almost fainted, Emiko and her brother smiling at one another. Amane sighed, glad that his sister and the Conglomerate leader trusted this Sun Eater fellow so much. Despite all those suitors, despite all the "rebellion" she was showing whenever she talked to their parents… he understood why. She had already found someone that she had devoted herself to. No amount of pestering from their parents could ever make a difference.

* * *

After the others left the hospital first, Amane turned to Ayumi, ruffling her hair. "I'm going home to see Mom and Dad… do you want me to keep your hospitalization a secret?" he asked, Ayumi pausing and making a face.

"I… You can tell them but tell them I'm leaving tomorrow so they don't visit me." She stated, Amane watching her hands shaking. She really was scared to meet with them since all they did recently was tell her she had to go get married.

"You know mom will see through that lie."

"That's fine, so long as she doesn't tell." She replied, Amane shaking his head. "I-I mean it, Amane!"

"I know I know." He put a hand on her head and fixed her hair for her. "I'll tell them you're safe. How's that?" he asked, Ayumi nodding silently. "Alright. Be safe. And next time LISTEN to Rizusa-sama, would you?"

"… Fine." She pouted, Amane smiling as she turned to look at him. "Thanks… for coming… I know you're busy."

"It's fine." He stated. "Get some sleep." He left the room, heading to the station to catch the train home. But when he arrived, he noticed someone familiar. "Akira. What are you doing out at this hour?" he asked, his youngest sibling jumping suddenly and turning to see his brother.

"H-hey, Ama-nii…" he looked like a kid caught red handed taking cookies before dinner. "I-I was just grabbin' some takoyaki…"

"… You were here checking on Jii-san, right?"

"H-how do you know?!"

"You're too obvious." Amane lead his brother to their train, noticing two heads of dark-purple hair waiting inside already. "What the… Azami? Ayaori?"

"Aza-nii! Aniki!" Akira grinned, rushing over.

"Aki? And Ama-nii too." The closest brother in age to Akira caught him from running and ruffled his hair. "Quit running, idiot." He added, his thick frame glasses and shaggy hair making him look like he'd been at home all day.

"Sorry, sorry." Akira stopped, waiting for his siblings to talk since they got so serious all the time.

"What're you doing here?" The second oldest having an expression set in a glare, his hair asymmetrical. His voice was deep, much like Amane's, but maybe even more so. Amane knew they would know if he lied, he was shitty at lying.

"Visiting our sister."

"Ayu…? I thought she holed up at UA?" Ayaori asked. After a long explanation, the boys got onto their train and headed home. "The hell is she thinking?" he asked, sounding irritated with his little sister. "She runs off to Fat Gum's agency to be with her boyfriend and she refuses to take Steele?"

"She's so reckless." Azami added, looking like he'd glare a hole straight through the window he stared across at. "And more over refusing an order from leader…"

"No way it was an order." Akira chimed in. "She probably suggested and Ayu-nee said she would be fine." He added, the other three sighing collectively. They knew it was probably true.

"You gonna tell Mom and Dad?" Azami turned to his older brother, Amane staring back.

"Just Mom."

"Dad will be mad if he finds out you lied to him." Ayaori told him, Amane shaking his head.

"Don't care." He replied simply. They all got off the train at the station and walked home together. They entered the house, looking around. The only light on was the kitchen light. "Dad must be out on business again." He mumbled, heading to the kitchen with his brothers to see a woman with long thick hair standing in front of the stove. "Mom?"

"Oh?" she turned, eyes widening, her hair braided over one side of her head and down past her shoulder. "Oh, my babies, welcome home~" she smiled cheerfully. "Oh, will there be enough food…?" she turned to the giant pile of dishes she'd already made, smiling.

"Mother, that's more than enough food…" Azami said, horrified that she thought that wouldn't be enough.

"Azamiii, don't call me mother." She pouted. "Call me Mom or Mama."

"… Mom." He grumbled as she hugged onto him, the other siblings saying hello as well.

"Oh… No Ayumi? Couldn't convince her?" she asked, smiling up at Amane, as though already knowing what the answer was but choosing to ask anyway. Amane went through the explanation once more, their mother seeming calm in taking that information in as the boys gathered their things for dinner. "Oh, my reckless baby girl is so silly." She pouted. "All she has to do is say no to suitors…"

"You know Father doesn't see it that way." Amane sighed.

"I know Amane, I'm sorry." She ruffled his hair. "Now go eat lots of good food~ We can talk to your Father tomorrow."

"Ayumi doesn't want him to know." Amane added.

"That's fine… we'll just tell him she went back to UA." She replied. "But… he should know that she went through a lot… so he may leave her be for a while." She added, Amane always bewildered by how his mother was so level-headed. Though he supposed that had to do with her upbringing and her quirk, which was much like Ayumi's. "Now make sure you all eat plenty." She smiled. A knock came at the front door, Amane going to answer it.

"Oh, Amane!" There, at the door, was Jouji. But not just Jouji… There was a small silver-haired boy with him. "Sorry to bother, is your mother home?" he grinned. "I came to drop Kuon off."

"Kuon…?" Amane looked at the boy, noting his eyes. Silvery blue. "Is that…?" he had heard his father talking about it once a year before… of the boy who was dropped on their lead family's door step… about the time when he started pouring on the "you need to find a suitor" mentality on his sister…

"You heard, huh?" he smiled. He looked into the hall, seeing the missus of the house walking over. "Good evening~"

"Jou-kun, welcome~" she smiled. "Are you staying for dinner?"

"No not tonight. Rizusa-sama is having a serious meeting at the compound so I have to get back." He smiled. "Please take care of Kuon until tomorrow afternoon for us." He bowed once he had placed Kuon on the ground, the boy copying his gesture. "Kuon, be good. Stay with them, okay?"

"… Mkay." He nodded, looking up at Amane, blinking, then over to the woman that knelt to his level to pet his head.

"Oh, you're such a cutie~" she cooed, smiling. "Come on~ Let's go get some dinner~" she lead him inside, Amane still standing there. Jouji waited for him to speak first, standing at the door.

"Is he really…?"

"We're still unsure, but we have that on the back burner." Jouji replied to Amane's half-question. "Right now, we have bigger things to deal with… starting with your father." He stated, Amane turning back to him.

"How do you mean?"

"The men your father was doing business with up until Ayumi-sama was attacked aren't exactly a legitimate business." He stated. "They're pretty bad types, but they put up a damn good front so I can see why he didn't back out sooner." He sighed. "They had some sort of deal, and personally I think things could have gone a lot worse… but…"

"But what?"

"Amane. They hired this guy to imitate the enemy that the conglomerate has faced since Rizusa-sama took control… to attack the second pillar… and to punish your father for backing out." He stated.

"What…?" Amane never heard from his father about business, so he had no idea this had been going on. "What sort of deal…?" he paused, turning back to where the child had gone into the kitchen with his mother. "They… wanted him?"

"Yeah." Jouji hung his head. "Because if he is who we think he is… them getting their mitts on him would collapse the entire organization." He stated, Amane connecting the pieces himself. "Keep him safe… clue your brothers in soon… if your mother doesn't do it first…" he waved a hand before turning to leave. "Rizusa-sama will be back for him tomorrow evening."

"… Alright…" he closed the door once Jouji was gone, his mind spinning. Was that deal his father had made the cause of all this? Was this why Ayumi ended up in the hospital? He gripped his hand into a fist. This was a lot to take in… he took a few deep breaths, turning to the kitchen and heading back over there. He would have a serious talk with his old man about all this later.

* * *

((Dun dun dun~ Serious talk! We sneak a peek into what's going on with the Aihara household!

Next time get to know the brothers! And maybe some more serious things?

-Winter Cheshire))


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10: Ebb and Flow

* * *

"Rizu-nee's out on a mission, huh…?" Ayumi sighed, pouting. "Thanks for coming to get me." She said softly, turning to Tamaki and offering her hand. His cheeks colored that adorable shade of pink she loved, so she grasped his hand and clung to him. The pair left the hospital together, two small red wire rings shining in the light. "Tama, you're so sweet." Ayumi smiled, the boy's face bright red. "Red strings of fate, huh…?" she admired her ring, Tamaki's face reddening more.

"I… could never give you pretty things too much since you always seemed so special… nothing was more difficult than trying to find something you would like." He muttered, staring at the ground.

"Hehe." She leaned over, stopping him walking along the street before kissing him gently, making him nearly jump back. "Tama… I love you."

"… I… you too… Ayumi…" he said, watching her smile cheerfully up at him. He couldn't help but smile a little too. But the fact that they were in the street was too embarrassing. "F-fat said to bring you by the office… and then we'll go back to the school, ne?"

"Hehe, yes~ Understood~" she cheered, clinging to him as they headed over to the train station.

* * *

It was morning and the Aihara boys were all sitting around the table as Amane explained what he understood of the situation, all the boys turning to where their mother sat. "Mom… is that true…?" Azami asked, shocked by the information.

"It's true." She smiled. "Your father never lets my intuition deter him from business, even though I usually can tell the bad ones from the good ones." She sighed. "And he insists on pestering my little girl about marriage when I think she needs the freedom to choose someone for herself." She pouted. "My grumpy husband needs a good whack to the head with a cast-iron skillet is what he needs!"

"M-mama, don't do that…" Akira said, knowing that she was just joking. But the thought was absolutely terrifying.

"In any case, Mother." Amane cleared his throat. "The circumstances on Kuon are supposed to be kept secret… right?"

"That would be the case as Rizusa-sama asked." She smiled. "However late yesterday afternoon, she changed the agreement. Instead of total secrecy, the only secret to be kept is that he may be related." She stated, sipping her tea. "He is an entity in the conglomerate now, so he must be protected…" she looked up at her sons, smiling. "Therefore, our job as the second pillar of the conglomerate is to keep him safe while Jou-kun and Rizusa-sama are working on taking out the enemy."

"… And father's punishment?"

"There is enough shame in having gone behind Rizusa-sama's back that she determined he needed only to be put on house arrest for a week." She smiled brightly, all the boys grinning a little. They knew their mother hardly saw their father, so that was something that made her extremely happy while also making their father atone for what had happened. "So she said, anyway." She chuckled. "He'll be home in an hour."

"Well I'm leaving before that." Ayaori stated, getting up from his chair. "Sorry, Mom." He left the room, their mother sighing as he did so.

"Aya-nii's still pretty mad huh?" Akira asked.

"Aya's just being a good member of the second family, is all… your father made quite a few serious mistakes, but Rizusa-sama still won't take more serious action against him." Their mother smiled. "She's always such a good girl." She finished her tea before getting up. "Amane, please let me know when your father's home?" she smiled. "I need to have quite a talk with him."

"Yes, Mother." Amane replied, letting her leave the room. "Azami, help me with the dishes. Akira, go call Ayumi."

"Call her? Why?" he pouted.

"Because I need you to make sure she's left the hospital." He stated.

* * *

Ayumi was walking towards Fat's Agency building after leaving the station with Tamaki, her phone ringing. Her eyes went wide at the number, a cheerful smile gracing her face. "Aki~"

"Ayu-nee… Ama-nii made me call." He sounded put out, but Ayumi kept smiling, fingers laced with Tamaki's as they walked. "Did you leave the hospital?"

"I did~" she chuckled. "Are you okay? At home?"

"I am… and yeah…" there was a voice in the background. "Ayu-nee… Aza-nii wants to talk."

"Aza-nii does…?" she asked, the phone switching hands and a loud booming voice coming through the phone.

"Idiot! The hell were you doing not taking Steele with you?!" he exclaimed. "You know Rizu-sama's quirk is supposed to be able to travel anywhere with you, why didn't you take him?!"

"S-sorry, Aza-nii." She said, pouting at the phone. "I didn't think I'd run into someone that strong…"

"Well don't let it happen again." He scolded. "I swear if we hear you're in the hospital again, you're in HUGE trouble."

"Haha, okay okay. I'm sorry, Aza-nii." She smiled.

"Also."

"Also?"

"Bring that damn hero-in-training boyfriend of yours home. I need to interrogate him." He grumbled, Ayumi's smile widening. "Mom said she wants to meet him too, since you stood up to Dad about him so adamantly."

"Hehe… Yes, Aza-nii." The phone went back to Akira.

"Yikes, Ayu-nee… Your boyfriend better be brave enough to handle Aza-nii's interrogation." The youngest Aihara stated.

"Hehe, so long as I'm there he will be." She smiled. "Thanks for calling, Aki~ I promise I'll come visit soon, ne?"

"… So long as you bring me good snacks." He replied, the pair making a promise before they hung up the call. Akira sighed, something feeling weird. The air around the house was tense, not just because their father was coming home either." This was… different.

* * *

After the father of the Aihara household came home and they had their lunch together, things seemed to be normal aside from Akira's unease. His mother had disappeared somewhere deep in the house, presumably doing chores. Akira was walking with Kuon through the house since it was huge and he didn't want the kid getting lost. There was a loud noise outside, Akira seeing his old man get up from his chair and heading to the door to check it out. "What was that…?" Akira sighed, wondering what it could be. "Wonder if Aza-nii missed a target in training?" he mumbled. The little boy looked up at him, then to the wall ahead of him. The little dragon doll he carried with him suddenly sprung to life and growled towards the wall, Kuon tugging on Akira's arm and walking backwards. "What's up, Kuon?" he asked. Suddenly, the wall busted open, Akira's father rolling into the room to avoid the debris. "D-dad?!"

"Get him out of here!" he exclaimed, looking to Kuon. "Hurry!" a huge villain stepped in through the hole, eyes searching the room for something. When he noticed Kuon, he stopped moving.

"The boy…" he stated, Akira's father blocking the villain's path. "Give… me… the boy."

"Akira, now!" he stated, the boy nodding and grabbing Kuon by the arm before running away from the villain that had broken into his house. Akira didn't know what to do, since he wasn't good at fighting like his siblings. But with his father fending them off, he was worried. The old man wasn't really a fighter either. Kuon looked up at him, but they kept moving. Kuon tripped as they were almost to the back exit of the house, Akira turning to grab him when the wall busted in from the side, the villain having thrown Akira's father through the wall.

"Insolent…" he mumbled, Akira horrified to see his old man in such a bad way. The villain turned to see Kuon, immediately reaching to grab the boy when Akira pulled him out of the way. They continued running with the villain in lumbering pursuit. "The boy…" he continued to chase them. "Give me… the boy…"

"Like hell I will!" Akira exclaimed. Was this what Ayumi dealt with? This sort of crazy villain? And to do it as a job… it was terrifying. He felt something pull him back, letting go of Kuon and ended up being thrown against a wall but thankfully not with the same force as his father had been. "Kuon! Run!" but it was no use. The little boy was frozen in place. His dragon doll growled and snapped at the villain, but he was too young to have any combat experience. As the villain was about to grab Kuon, a sword ran through his arm, someone kicking him back and away from the little one Akira had been protecting. "Aya-nii?!"

"Akira, the hell is this thing?!" a boy with similar colored hair and dark blue eyes asked, his shaggy locks and black frame glasses identifying him as the third oldest brother in the family. Ayaori Aihara. "And what the hell does it want?!"

"He's after Rizusa-nee's kid brother!"

"What?! Damn, how did they know he was here?!" he asked, fending off the villain again as he flew back in his direction. "The hell, get out of my house!"

"Another… insolent…" the villain reached for Ayaori, but the boy slashed the sword at his face, causing the villain to stumble.

"Akira, go!"

"R-right!" he grabbed Kuon and ran, Ayaori standing between him and the villain.

"In my way…"

"Damn right I am." He continued slashing at the villain, trying to buy his brother time. The only way to win against something this strong was to call their leader… to call Rizusa. Ayaori had come home to find his closest sibling, Azami, on the door-step, beaten up really badly. On top of that, their father had been thrown through a wall. "Where the hell is mom?" he asked, stabbing the villain through the arm again as Akira turned the corner. But he heard a scream, Akira running back. "Akira, the hell-?!" he turned, seeing another villain almost identical to the first carrying their oldest brother Amane by the head, throwing him down onto the floorboards. "Amane!"

"Insolent…"

"Must die…"

"Shit." Ayaori couldn't defend against two villains of this strength… and the fact that he'd downed Amane was terrifying, their oldest brother had taught Ayumi how to fight when they were young… he'd taught all of them. Seeing him defeated wasn't right.

"Aya-nii, what do we do?" Akira asked, keeping Kuon behind him. "These guys are too strong…"

"I dunno, kid…" he paused, realizing something. But before he could speak, both villains closed in on him at once, causing him to throw his blade up in defense, hoping that they wouldn't hit Akira. Both younger boys closed their eyes in fear. But there was no contact… Akira opened his eyes, wide eyed when he realized who was protecting them.

"M-mom?"

"Are you two okay?" their normally passive, soft-spoken mother was carrying the spear that normally sat on the wall in the hallway, glancing over her shoulder as she held off one villain with the spear, the other in a sort of trance.

"… Woman…" the villain struck out at her, only to be slashed across the chest with the spear. "Demon Woman…"

"Oh, you've heard of me?" she smiled. "Good good. Then you know what a beating you're in for… after hurting my boys." She turned to Ayaori and Akira. "Your father really got mixed in with the wrong people, didn't he?" she sighed. "I'll be sure to scold him for causing Rizusa-sama so much stress later." She added. "But for now, get the little one to her…" she added. "I'll hold them both off until you do, okay?"

"B-but Mom!"

"Akira, don't argue." She stated. "I wasn't the last Aihara to hold the conglomerate name for nothing… Please… I cannot fill that duty, and without Ayumi here it's our job… so please." She said softly. "Trust me and get Kuon out of here."

"… C'mon Akira." Ayaori pulled his brother out of the way, Kuon following close behind. "Mom isn't a pushover… who do you think Ayumi gets it from?" he asked, Akira looking back at their mother. "That's why they sent her to be the Conglomerate pillar and no one else…"

"But…"

"Mom learned from Shion-baba to be one hell of a fighter… the girls in our family aren't gonna lose… not without a fight." He stated, Akira still looking upset. "So, for now… just trust that Mom's still as badass as she was when she was working for the conglomerate… and we'll focus on getting Kuon to Rizu and getting her back here to fight these bastards off."

* * *

Ayumi's phone rang again, the girl currently sitting in Fat's office. "Sorry, it's the conglomerate." She said softly, picking up the call. "Hello?"

"Ayumi, where are you?"

"I'm at Fat's office." She replied with a smile. "Jouji… what's wrong?"

"I need you to come back to the compound." The assistant stated. "Rizusa-sama will need you for this."

"For…?" Ayumi pouted.

"Your father's done business with a group that's behind the scenes dealings include hiring villains… and we believe that when he dropped their deal, they chose to make an example of him…" Jouji stated. "Ayu… they're planning on attacking your house."

"… My…?" she gasped. She immediately turned to Fat and Tamaki. "I'll bring Fat Gum and Sun Eater. Please inform Rizu-nee for me." She stated, the panic in her expression alerting the two others to the seriousness of the situation. Jouji thanked her before hanging up, Rizusa seeming uneasy about all this.

"What's wrong, Rizusa-sama?"

"Jouji… we're going to the Aihara Compound now."

"Now? But shouldn't we wait for…?" he paused, seeing her staring out the window. His eyes widened as he realized what she was looking at. A battered Ayaori and Azami running towards them with little Kuon in tow. "Akira?! Aya!?" They rushed outside to meet them at the gates.

"Rizu-nee!" Akira ran up to her and clung to her, tears in his eyes. "Rizu-nee! V-villains are attacking the house!" he exclaimed, panicking. "M-mama's holding them off but-!" her hand gently combed through his hair, her other arm tightening around his shoulders. "Please, save her!"

"Jouji. We're going." She stated. "Set the defenses and tell Ayumi where to find me." She stated. She turned to Ayaori, letting go of Akira and bowing to the boy before picking up the little one next to him. "Kuon. Stay here." She stated softly, smiling. "Big sis will go beat up the scary people for you."

"… Stay safe, Big Sis…"

"Good boy." She put him down and ushered them into the gates, Jouji letting everyone in the compound know the situation. "Se-chan." The girl appeared at her side in an instant, but she was dressed differently than normal. In all black, much like Rizusa, and carrying a sword in her hands. "Thank you." Rizusa accepted the blade, sighing as she took it from its sheath. "… First time in a long time…" she stated. "Se-chan. Your objective is to get any injured out." She stated. "I will go and assist Ayumi's mother."

"Understood, Rizusa-sama." She stated, standing from her kneeling position. Rizusa ran off towards the Aihara household, the other girl right behind her.

* * *

((Sorry for taking so long to update, busy busy holidays have come around... Hopefully soon I can update again, as well as the other stories.

Mama Aihara in action, coming soon!

-Winter Cheshire))


End file.
